Search the wind
by Shadowonthewall6
Summary: In a change of events, Nami is sent flying with Luffy after Kuma's attack and joins the future pirate king through his adventures to rescue Ace. Will she change the fate of the wind?  "Look Luffy, there you are my love, waiting for me"
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey everyone, Shadowonthewall6 here bringing you another fanfic...okay by another I mean my first one**_

_**Well here it is, hope you enjoy it**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own One piece...that's why I'm writing fan fiction duh!**_

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Chapter 1: Bon voyage

The sun was slowly descending upon the horizon. The day was in its afternoon stage and preparing for a sunset. Slowly, but surely, the light was fading.

Fading…fading…fading…

"If you wanted to go on a trip, where would you like to go?"

The bold and tyrannous Kuma stood before the straw hat crew. His pale eyes shone white, glinting in the reflection from the bubbles. He gazed down at the swordsman before him. The green haired swordsman from thriller bark, his wounds couldn't have healed just yet, could they? Roronoa Zoro gazed up at the great pafista. Kuma barely could contain his sense of dread. In one swift motion, his hand, now gloveless, passed over the swordsman. In a blink, he was gone, replaced by a cloud of terror and a feeling of despair. Usopp, the ships marksman, stood nearby, gazing in awe at his vanished nakama.

"Z-zo-ro" he stuttered out of his surprised mouth. Brook the skeleton looked at the monolith of a man as his eyes surveyed the battlefield. There were two to the far right, the navigator and the shipwright. In front of him, the chef lay unconscious with the marksman beside him and the musician nearby. To his left, the captain knelt, screaming for his lost crewmate, the archaeologist beside him, trying to calm him down and hide her own sorrow. A loud thud sounded and the two leapt out of the way of the ship's doctor, now a giant monster. Kuma looked over the crew one by one.

"The weakest first" he murmured and began to advance upon the nearest crew member. Kuma's footsteps lightly thudded along the earth. The sniper looked up in terror and aimed his weapon. "Stay back" he yelled but Kuma ignored him and strolled forward regardless. Kuma slowly glanced upwards, noticing a bright light in the corner of his eye. PX001 was charging up, preparing to fire a laser from his mouth. Kuma thought quickly and tapped his own body lightly. In a second, he was in front of the robot. With a quick slash of his palm, the pafista disappeared like the swordsman before it.

Luffy looked up in surprise. Zoro…gone…Kuma…rogue...Crew…save…

Words flew in and out of the captain's head. Magically, he managed to form a sentence.

"EVERYONE RUN, WE'LL THINK ABOUT IT WHEN WE'RE SAFE, RUN!" Luffy yelled loudly. Immediately, the crew scrambled to flee. Luffy turned to run but the sound of Brook, made him turn around. The musician was gone, his laughter left unfinished as his skull joke floated across the wind. Luffy gazed in anger. Sanji growled as well. With a leap into the sky, the chef flew towards his target, his legs poised and ready to strike.

"YOU SHITTY PAWPAW BASTARD, I'LL…"Sanji yelled. A paw pad interrupted him, sending him flying to the side. Kuma stared down at the sharpshooter on the floor, crawling away like a cowardly rat. Kuma took step after step forward. Lead star after lead star hit him but Kuma ignored this and flicked his palm down at Usopp. The sharpshooter's scream caught in his throat and Usopp disappeared. Luffy fell to the floor, his spirit crushed. His crew…fading…fading away…

Sanji, enraged beyond belief, ran at the pirate warlord. His cry of "DAMN IT" fell on deaf ears. Kuma had already struck him down. Luffy watched with a pang in his heart. Sanji was gone, lost in the wind. Luffy's rage raised higher and higher as, he growled at Kuma, who was now leaning down whispering to Rayleigh. His blood rose, his hair stood on end and Luffy's frown was now a glaring face of rage.

"YOU BASTARD" he thundered, haki shaking the forest. Rayleigh looked up at him, noticing the strongly radiating source of haki. Kuma stood up calmly and looked over at the captain. "GEAR SECOND" Luffy bellowed as his legs shook in place. He felt the blood surging through his body and he felt the raging heat as the steam leaked from his feet. Luffy paused as he felt his breathing struggle but then regained its normal pace. His heart was beating quickly in his chest as he activated his new technique. Luffy leapt at Kuma, like a flash of lighting shooting through the sky. Kuma teleported away just as Luffy hit the floor face first. Luffy lifted his head up, his eyes darting madly from left to right. "Where is he? Where is he?" he murmured.

"STRONG RIGHT" Franky yelled, causing Luffy to turn his gaze towards the shipwright. Franky punched at Kuma, who merely batted the fist away with the tip of his gloved hand. His palm then came striking down on Franky…and the blue haired mechanic was no more. It was then that Luffy realised. Kuma was standing right in front of Nami. The orange haired navigator was shaking nervously, gazing into the eyes of her defeat. Luffy felt a mad urge in his brain and decided to follow it.

He reached out both of his hands and grabbed hold of a nearby tree root. With his hands wrapped around it, Luffy leapt in the air.

"GUM- GUM…" Luffy yelled, praying to god for help as he prepared his move.

"ROCKET!" as Luffy let out the word; he was catapulted forward, the branch pulling him in the direction of his navigator. Luffy flew past the branch, essentially jumping the gap between him and his navigator. Still in the air, his body twisted round to face Kuma and his descending paw. Luffy felt his brain fit the pieces into place and he reached his right hand backwards, grabbing Nami by the shoulder. Then, with a deep breath, Luffy reached his free hand backwards and fired it forwards at the oncoming paw. For a second, Luffy feared he had failed. But then instead of disappearing, Luffy flew backwards quickly. He felt a slight smile grace his lips as he pulled Nami from behind him to in front of him, shielding her from the impact with a nearby tree. Luffy fell to the ground, his navigator lying across him. He looked down at her with a slight smile before looking up to face Kuma. The monster Chopper bounded towards him, screaming like a creature from a horror film. Luffy slowly and carefully moved Nami off him and tried to step forward. He soon discovered he could not move forward. Looking back for a second take, he realised that Nami was holding onto his leg intently.

"Don't…leave…me" she managed to make out through tears. The straw-hat captain was shocked. Nami, who was usually strong and wise, was now losing her wit and her cunning over the desperate battle. Luffy crouched beside her, putting his hat on her head to calm her down. "Nami…" he whispered, causing her to look up at him with her round brown eyes. Luffy met their gaze. "I'll be right back…" he whispered quietly but the look on his face told her that he wasn't sure if he would. Slowly, Nami let go of his leg and Luffy turned around and ran at the battle. Chopper roared loudly and with a loud pop, he had disappeared. Angrily, Luffy bounded forwards. "GUM GUM BAZOOKA!" he roared as he thrust both of his palms out at Kuma. This did nothing as the warlord quietly and quickly deflected the attack with a flick of his hand. Luffy flew backwards, hitting the same tree again, landing next to Nami. He looked up just in time to see Robin reach out to him.

"LUFFY! NAMI!" she yelled

"ROBIN!" Nami and Luffy shouted back but it was too late. Robin was already gone.

Now this was a sight. Kuma turned around as the sun faded on the horizon and looked at his last two targets. Nami was crying, letting the tears run down her face as she hunched over against Luffy's shoulder. Luffy was close to losing his mind without his crew but knowing how Nami needed him, he instead reduced his face to a mere glare and held his navigator close, her head now buried in his chest, his arm shielding her from the warlord. Kuma looked at the two. He reached forward with his paw hand. Luffy reacted with a burst of haki, pushing Kuma back slightly.

"You've taken them…" Luffy said "BUT YOU'RE NOT TAKING HER, I'M NOT LEAVING HER…" Kuma stared down at the captain, who stared back.

There was silence. Agonizingly slow silence as the world stopped turning. Kizaru wasn't important. Rayleigh wasn't important. Even his nakama weren't important right now. What was most important now was just him, Kuma and Nami. The three were just standing there, waiting for Kuma's judgement. Would he separate them like he had their crew, or would the tyrant allow them to escape to safety? The silence was floating around them, like a boat on the water circling a whirlpool. Luffy looked at Kuma. He looked back, his eyes flashing with calculation. The great tyrant's hair was whipped up in a sudden breeze. Luffy's straw hat blew around its string, trying to hold onto the head of the navigator. Silence continued to float…

"Fine" Kuma murmured quietly. He lowered his paw and tapped the side of Luffy's arms. The two disappeared in smoke but Luffy still heard Kuma's words.

"Goodbye, this is the last time you should see me" Luffy didn't understand but didn't care as he and Nami began to soar through the sky in their paw shaped bubble. Luffy looked down at Nami, who was holding him tightly around the waist. The sky faded to black as night descended and strangely enough, Nami fell asleep. Luffy looked down at her, realising her grip was slipping. The two still floated together in the sky, in complete synchronisation. Luffy then allowed his tears to pour, now that Nami couldn't see them. He cried and cried softly, but was asleep soon before he realised his energy was fading.

"My crew…my family…my nakama…"

Kuma looked up at the sky. He donned his gloves and smiled.

"Such fine comrades Dragon" he muttered "I see why they respect him" and with that Kuma turned away and for the last time, walked the way he wished.

"For what is lost can never be broken"

The sun descended softly on Sabaody Archipelago. The bubbles reflected the light through their watery bodies and popped as they were battered by the wind. A great red sun set greeted those on Sabaody Archipelago, signalling good sailing for the next day. Unfortunately, the trees and the branches groaned, sensing the oncoming storm. The wind slowly began to pick up, with leaves being dragged around a clearing. They blew towards the "redline" and the mighty fortress that sat nearby. Stars guided the weary travellers through the night sky.

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TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 2: BRAND NEW WORLD

_Nami and Luffy arrive on a strange island full of a warrior tribe of women. Can the two escape and reunite with their crew? Or will Luffy's curiosity with mushrooms lead to disaster?_

_**Until then, I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I hope you've enjoyed (and will enjoy) this chapter and the chapters to come.**_

_**Please review. Positive criticism is welcome**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey everyone, Shadowonthewall6 here. Before we begin today's chapter, I think you deserve to know the story behind it.**_

_**A short time ago, there was a young man named…Shadowonthe…floor?…yes, Shadowonthefloor7. You see Shadowonthefloor7 really wanted to write fan-fiction but…well, he wasn't sure if he could. After a while of brainstorming, he created an idea for a story but, unfortunately, he wasn't very motivated. I mean, it took him over a fortnight to finish the first chapter. However, as he was about a quarter of the way through writing the second chapter, he decided to post his story on . When he checked back on it a day later, he was astonished to see the awesome reviews fans had left him. These reviews encouraged him to finish the second chapter and so, after many a bored evening, he had wrote almost the whole of chapter 2...**_

…_**and on a completely unrelated note, I, Shadowonthewall6, have just finished chapter 2 and I am now unloading it…**_

_**So much fail in one introduction **____**…**_

_**So this chapter took a while to do even with about a quarter already done. That's mainly because**_

_**I was writing A LOT for of the chapter**_

_**I cut down Chapter 2 since it was way too long (it was originally from when Luffy and Nami land to when Luffy is discovered to be a man at the hot springs…it may not seem that it was that long of a chapter to you, but it was)**_

_**so Chapter 3 is basically Chapter 2: Part 2**_

_**So after that long winded explanation, I'd like to finish off by thanking all of my reviewers, who were awesome enough to give feedback on "Search the wind" and get me off my lazy ass to write it.**_

_**Hope you enjoy**_

_**Chapter 2: Brand new world**_

Amazon lily, the island of snakes and beautiful women, was a peaceful and quiet place. Green trees shook gently in the wind and the grass moved softly with the breeze. The bright blue sky was silent, save for the squawk of the occasional seagull. The peaceful morning, however, was interrupted by a paw shaped pad mark falling from the sky and impacting the ground of Amazon Lily with a crash. Dust floated from the crater, revealing an amazing sight. Lying in the crater were two people, sleeping peacefully on the floor. A black haired young man lay sleeping peacefully, his dark blue vest slowly fluttering in the wind as he used his right arm to keep the other figure close. The other figure was a young woman with orange hair, who was lying on top of the boy with her head resting on his chest and her arms draped around him holding him tight. Her yellow t-shirt was burnt but, what was most strange was that her legs were wrapped around the boy's legs. The two looked quite peaceful. A straw-hat was nestled on the floor beside them, seemingly watching the two slumber.

Slowly, the sun's barbaric rays made Nami wake up. The straw-hat navigator yawned and dozily sulked into her pillow. She snuggled deeper into it, sighing contently. The pillow grunted in its sleep and seemed to snuggle to keep the two together. Nami soon felt her mind fall into a deep sleep…

"Did…my…pillow just…grunt?" she said quietly and looked up to see Luffy wrapping his arms around her and smiling contently. Nami froze. She was utterly shocked at the sudden turn of events and her mind began running ideas through her brain.

Option A: Hit him and insult him like crazy, hoping he apologises

Option B: Shuffle away from his grip (whilst blushing)

Option C: Wake him up and ask him to get off

Luckily, Nami chose option D, all three.

"GET OFF OF ME YOU IDIOT" she yelled as her fist made contact with the front of Luffy's head sending him flying into a nearby tree. Whilst Luffy tried to wake up, Nami had shuffled away and was now so red that Luffy's old shirt looked like it was being worn by her head. Luffy shook his head rapidly from side to side and stared back up at the navigator.

"Ow! Nami, that hurt!" Luffy whined as Nami turned to meet his gaze. Her brown eyes seemed to look at him, confused, as if something wasn't quite right. After a second take, Luffy realised that the two were sitting in a clearing in between some trees. There were no bubbles. Luffy blinked for a second and then, the memories of the day before came flooding back to him. Nami's eyes also seemed to widen, suggesting she had remembered as well. The two exchanged looks and slowly shuffled closer.

"The crew…" Luffy began but his voice suddenly fell silent. He didn't want to waste words of sorrow. Nami simply sat quietly, now shaking slightly with a sudden cold feeling that spread across her back. The two were silent for a moment. All of a sudden, Nami heard a sound coming from her right. She turned in that direction but all she saw was Luffy. The straw-hat captain had his trademark straw hat on, covering his eyes. At first, Nami heard a chuckle. Then, she watched as Luffy suddenly began to break out into laughter. Her captain…the captain (Nami cursed herself inwardly) was laughing about their situation…of being separated…of being lost…of being alone. Suddenly, Nami found she could take no more and stood up angrily growling.

"YOU IDIOT" she yelled, grabbing Luffy's attention "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING AT? OUR CREW IS GONE, WE'RE STUCK ON SOME WEIRD ISLAND…AND WE'RE ALL ALONE…WHY SHOULD WE BE LAUGHING?" Luffy just sat there looking at his navigator with an odd smile on his face.

"Silly Nami" Luffy murmured. Nami wasn't sure whether to be enraged or confused by the statement. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a small piece of paper which Luffy held in front of her. Nami's eyes suddenly brightened as realisation dawned upon her.

"The…vivre card…" she whispered happily. Luffy nodded.

"The bear man failed, we can still get back together and reunite with the rest of the crew" he finished with a grin. Unfortunately for Nami, Luffy's grin was like a fever and soon, she was infected with a bright smile across her face. Luffy nodded at her smiling face, pleased with her happier mood.

"LET'S GO FIND THE CREW!" Luffy bellowed and began running forward, dragging Nami by her hand. This surprised the Navigator so much that it took her a few minutes to speak again.

"Luffy…what are you doing?" she eventually asked. Luffy turned around slightly and looked at the navigator in slight surprise.

"WE'RE GOING TO FIND THE CREW" he yelled again with another smile.

"Then tell me Luffy…what if we're on an island?…an uninhabited one?…and there are no boats to buy at the port?…because there's no port?…and we're stranded here?" the navigator said, her anger slowly rising. Luffy continued running for a moment and then slowly stopped. The captain looked back at Nami for a second, his eyes looking deep into hers. Nami almost became numb from the way he stared at her. Eventually, Luffy began to smile.

"You think too much Nami"

A fist to his face was his reply.

"I think just the right amount thank you!" Nami yelled furiously "YOU'RE the one who doesn't think enough" Luffy looked at her confused, as if she had just something like "her foot tasted good" Luffy shrugged and sat down on a nearby tree root.

"So, what do you think we should do then?" he asked in confusion.

"Well" Nami explained "I think we should try to get to the coast…and then if there's no-one on this island, then we'll have to build a boat or a raft of some kind to sail out there" Luffy watched her with interest and then nodded.

"Okay, but we'll need some food first" he declared with his trademark grin. Nami groaned at this, though she had to agree, as she was quite hungry herself. As if on queue, a large warthog bounded through the trees and began looking around. Luffy smiled grabbing Nami's hand once more and began to give chase.

The warthog never stood a chance.

"FOOD!"

Luffy and Nami quickly gathered firewood and in a matter of minutes, a fire was burning nicely. Luffy rubbed his hands together and licked his lips as he watched the warthog being cooked. It had been Nami's idea to cook the beast using a huge contraption to turn the warthog whilst it was being cooked, making both sides easily burnt. He looked up at her as she pushed and pulled on the lever, turning the warthog around to be cooked evenly. Somehow, Luffy found himself draw to the swaying motion and focused his eyes on Nami's body. His heart beat increased and he smiled widely at her.

"Now that's something I'd like to eat" he commented licking his lips.

"Don't worry Luffy it'll be ready soon" Nami replied, shocking Luffy out of his stare. The straw-hat captain looked away blushing slightly. Was he just watching Nami? Why had he said that? Luffy attempted to look at Nami but at the sight of her, he couldn't help but blush again. Turning away to the ground, Luffy closed his eyes and shook his head…but the image of Nami smiling at him, cooking the warthog was still engraved in his mind. Shaking his head again, he chose to watch the cooking warthog.

"Nami looks better though" he thought to himself.

Nami couldn't even look at Luffy. It wasn't because she liked him more than a friend and it wasn't because he always never wore a shirt that covered his chest. It was because in that moment, she had seen just how dangerous Luffy was when he hadn't eaten for days. The rubber man had literally leapt onto the food and had begun eating away at the warthog. Whilst a small part of her thought this was "cute" and added to Luffy's childlike nature, the rest of her had voiced their utmost discust at the raved haired man's eating habits. For one second, she almost wished that Sanji had been there to "correct" this brute's eating manners (probably with a boot to the head). Nami shook her head in anger and strolled away from the hungry straw-hat captain. After that moment on, Nami swore that she HAD to teach Luffy some table manners. Until then, Nami would just have to avoid looking at him whilst he was eating…no matter how tempting the offer was. Sighing, Nami crouched down amongst the shrubbery and began looking for anything edible. Nami looked around on the floor and soon found a mushroom with an oddly green colour on top of it. Plucking it off the ground, Nami began to examine it

"What's that?" Luffy asked from behind her, startling Nami. The orange haired navigator sighed and regained her composure and held the mushroom up to her companion. Luffy took a second to analyse the mushroom and then smiled.

"Ah Nami, this mushroom is a laughing mushroom" he said happily, before receiving a smack around his head from said navigator.

"Idiot, there's no such thing as laughing mushrooms" she growled angrily, ignoring Luffy's pout.

"Yes there is, I read about it in Chopper's book…" Nami looked at Luffy with a disbelieving frown.

"…Okay, so Chopper told me about it and showed me the picture in his book, BUT THEY ARE REAL!" Luffy replied angrily. Nami frowned slightly and watched as Luffy plucked another mushroom from the collection that Nami had took hers from and demonstrated by eating it. A few seconds passed before Luffy burst into laughter.

"Shi-shi-shi I told you I was right AHAHAHA" Luffy bellowed loudly as he rolled on the floor laughing. Nami sighed.

"Liar" Nami muttered.

"I thought I couldn't lie!" Luffy mumbled to himself in confusion. Nami's eyes widened. Unfortunately, the dumbass was right.

"Try some if you don't believe me" he suggested. Nami turned her head and looked down at the collection of mushrooms below her. With a snap and a snip, Nami had plucked off a mushroom and, at Luffy's annoying request, took a small bite out of the mushroom.

After chewing for a second, Nami paused. She had a sudden feeling at the pit of her stomach. Suddenly, the feeling seemed to bubble and rose up her throat. She felt for a second like she was going to be sick. She closed her eyes as her mouth seemed to forcibly open on its own. Nami shuddered as the feeling reached her mouth and…

"HAHAHAHAHA" Nami laughed loudly, shaking with a sudden joy. The laugh echoed around the forest and Nami collapsed on the floor, rolling side to side as she laughed. Luffy watched her confused as she joyfully rolled around. Eventually, Nami's loud laughter died down and the orange haired navigator lay on the floor in silence. It felt so good to laugh…but this time, it felt kind of empty. Sitting up, Nami glared at Luffy, who nervously shuffled slightly away. Nami look slowly changed however. Her anger became sadness and she watched Luffy as he looked at her in confusion.

"Please Luffy…" she whispered with sorrow "Don't let me eat those things ever again" Luffy gaped in slight surprise at his navigator's sadness, but nodded regardless. He wasn't the kind of guy to force something on someone who didn't want it. That was especially the case with his navigator.

Nami shivered slightly from the taste of emptiness it left in her mouth but turned back to Luffy with a small smile. Luffy, now seeing his navigator was still okay, was now trying over mushrooms in the clearing, commenting aloud on the taste.

"Hmm…ANGRY! DAMN YOU PAW PAW BASTARD!"

"Hmm…SAD! WHAAA SANJI, FOOD…"

Nami sighed loudly. She was going to be driven insane by this idiot at this rate. The orange haired navigator stood up slowly. She stretched her arms up into the air and then yawned loudly. Looking back at Luffy, Nami suddenly remembered something.

"Luffy" she said, attracting his attention "I've just realised I left my Clima-Tact back where we landed. I'm gonna have to go back and get it" Luffy looked at her with a slightly worried face.

"Want me to come to?" he asked. Nami shook her head.

"We're pretty near to there now…I mean, after you finished chasing the warthog" she giggled

"No fair Nami, he was fast!" Luffy said with a fake pout. The straw-hat captain grabbed his trademark straw-hat off his head and casually threw it to Nami, who barely caught it and looked at it with uncertainty.

"It's for good luck" he explained. Nami smiled at this and began walking back to the clearing.

Reaching the large crater in the middle of the large clearing, Nami slowly lowered herself down into the pit. The dirt shifted beneath her feet as she shuffled down into the bottom of the crater. Looking around the hole in the ground, Nami could hardly believe how perfectly orb shaped the crater was. Kuma surely knew how to dig a hole. At the centre of the crater, she could see her trademark Clima-Tact, which she assumed had fallen off of her belt as she had landed. The pieces appeared slightly dusty but it seemed to be alright. Nami crouched down as picked up the Clima-Tact. She carefully lifted one of the three components and looked down the hole where Usopp (god bless his awesomeness) had crafted dials for the soul purpose of making her special weather attacks. Unfortunately, the dials were dusty. A good clean and they'd work again perfectly. However, with the increasingly obvious lack of towns, it would be very difficult to do so. Nami gathered up the three pieces of her Clima-Tact and then stood up, ready to climb back up out of the pit.

"Quickly, the smoke came from over here"

Nami froze. That…wasn't Luffy's voice. There was someone else here.

"I wonder what could have made the smoke, the saga of "what could do this""

Nami dropped to her knees. There were 2 of them.

"Margaret, are you sure the smoke came from this way?"

There were 3 OF THEM? Nami's face grew pale as she listened to the conversation.

"Positive Aphelandra, we're close to the area now"

"But what if someone made the smoke, the saga of "friend or foe""

"If someone did sneak onto the island, then we will have to execute that person on behalf of the snake princess"

Nami was now shaking. Oh yes, these people were definitely hostile…but…where the hell was Luffy when you needed him? And who the hell was this snake princess?

"Hey Sweet Pea, Margaret, look, there's a crater in that clearing"

Nami trembled even more. They had found her. These monsters (whoever or whatever they were) had found her.

"Alright, Sweet Pea circle around the crater to the left, Aphelandra circle round to the right, we don't know what's in here"

Nami was silently panicking. She needed to escape. Running would be too dangerous with them surrounding her. She had to hide…HIDE WHERE? She was in the middle of a pit. Lucking down, Nami noticed the Clima-Tact pieces she had hung on her belt. She quickly grabbed them. The dials were still too dusty to do anything with. Nami felt herself begin to sweat nervously as she breathed frantically into the Clima-Tact. Some dust escaped…but most of the dust still clogged up the dials.

"Come on…" Nami found herself muttering "Hurry, before…"

Margaret slowly crept towards the crater in the round. She glared at the pit as if it was a feral beast. This crater was definitely suspicious. Every precaution had to be taken to ensure the safety of Amazon Lily. Even if it meant murder. With a slight shudder, Margaret looked over at her two friends. Sweet Pea was the nearest to the hole and was excitedly twirling her snake staff around in her hand. Aphelandra was also approaching from the side as slowly as possible in an attempt to sneak up to the pit. Smiling and nodding at her comrades, Margret approached the pit with cautious steps. After slowly approaching the pit, Margaret grabbed onto her snake staff tightly and quickly stepped forward and gazed into the pit. The crater was empty. A small wind blew around the hole in the ground…yet there was still no sign of anyone. Margaret immediately straightened up and glanced at Sweet Pea and Aphelandra. Both seemed as surprised as she was. Margaret shook her head and began to walk away from the hole.

"Come on" she called to her hunting party and the three of them began to trek back into the jungle, searching for the disturbance from before. If they allowed someone to illegally enter Amazon Lily, they would be…

Dead. The one word Nami had thought in the pit. She was so dead. These women looked like warriors and strong warriors at that. If she hadn't managed to cast a quick but effective mirage tempo when she had, the strange snake weapons the women were carrying may have decided she looked quite tasty. Nami almost vomited at the thought…or maybe that was the mushroom. Nami clutched her stomach and groaned.

"Damn you Luffy" she murmured. Suddenly, she realised what she had said.

"Luffy…"

The idiot was still out there eating mushrooms...

"Oh shit…" were the last words Nami spoke before her legs finally regained motion and she quickly vaulted out of the pit. With her Clima-Tact in hand, Nami sprinted forward through the jungle after the female warriors.

It soon became very obvious to Nami that the warrior women were a lot faster than her, probably faster than Kalifa. Nami smiled slightly remembering the look on the woman's face when she had finished her off with her thunder lance tempo. That move was definitely going to be useful in the future. As Nami continued to charge through the trees, dodging branch and root alike, a thought came over her. Turning to her left, she had realised that she had been travelling the wrong way for the past few minutes.

"God damn it Zoro, your horrible sense of direction is contagious" Nami muttered angrily under her breath. The navigator began her marathon again, this time heading in the direction of the mushrooms. Vaulting over the tree roots and sliding past tree trunks soon became tiring and Nami became more enraged by the second. Finally, she snapped.

"LUFFY, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" Nami bellowed as loud as she could. She was surprised to hear a rustling in reply from not to far away. Nami quickly sneaked behind a tree. Peeking out from her hiding spot, she could see the blonde haired woman from before looking out from a small clearing.

"What was that Margaret?" a voice bellowed from behind her. Margret turned around and faced the direction of the voice.

"I'm not sure Sweet pea. I think it was some sort of wild animal though" Margret replied. Nami had to restrain herself from shouting an angry reply.

"Wild animal my foot" she muttered angrily under her breathe, before turning to see what was going on in the clearing.

The sight was so strange she almost screamed in shock. The three warrior women were standing around some sort of odd mushroom patch…with hair…and skin…

"Oh my god, It's Luffy!" Nami thought as she let out a small surprised yelp. What the hell had Luffy done to transform into a living mushroom? Turning deathly silent, Nami leaned forward slightly, listening intently to the voices.

"Well Sweat Pea, what do you make of this?"

"Well…she could be someone from the village…"

"Luffy's not a girl" Nami muttered angrily, listening to the conversation.

"Whoever she is, she looks like she could need some help. I mean, she has eaten the "Mushrooms-Growing-On-Your-Body" Mushrooms so she'll definitely need help"

Nami groaned quietly.

"A mushroom that makes mushroom's grow on your body? That's as ridiculous as fruits that give you special powers…" Nami murmured but suddenly saw her mistake and sighed.

"Great, Luffy's stupidity is contagious too" she groaned and pressed her ear back to the tree.

"…so this is the saga of "we've got no time to lose"

"Precisely. Aphelandra, can you help carry her back to the village?"

"Sure"

Nami slowly leaned out of her hiding spot and watched as the tallest woman, who she guessed, was this "Aphelandra", picked up Luffy and flung him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. As the Amazons set off slowly towards the village, Nami carefully crept along behind them. She was not going to lose Luffy like she had lost the others. There was no way on earth.

_**To be continued in Chapter 3: Crazy (Rainbow star)**_

_**(You can tell I'm getting stuck for Chapter names)**_

_Separated from Luffy on Amazon lily, Nami journeys deep into enemy territory to rescue her captain. Will Nami be able to fake her way into the city to save her captain? And who's this Snake princess everyone keeps talking about?_

_**Until then I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.**_

_**Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey everyone, Shadowonthewall6 here.**_

_**Finally, after many a day of writing, Search the Wind Chapter 3 is finished and here it is for your viewing pleasure.**_

_**Hope you enjoy**_

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_**Chapter 3: Crazy (Rainbow star)**_

An amazing cobalt blue sky was high above the stone statues of the three serpents. The rock face the statues were built on held a mighty carving, which doubled as a warning for those foolish enough to attempt to journey to the island. The word "Kuja" seemed to be shadowed in the late morning sun. Behind this rock wall, lay a small town protected by the mountainside. This is the island of Amazon lily, home to killer beauties and deadly animals alike. It is a place where men are forbidden.

Nami was already regretting following the women back to the village. Not only had she lost them, but now she was stranded in a strange town with unfamiliar people wandering everywhere. Plus, it didn't help that her clothes stood out too much. Not only were her clothes different from what the other women of the village were wearing, but they were also battered and damaged at the edges. She definitely looked quite alien compared to the people of the island. Luckily, shortly after entering the village and losing the other women, she had managed to find some clothes that had been put out to dry. The wind was flapping around the outfit as if gesturing Nami to take it. Nami, never being the one to argue with fate, thanked the wind for its offer and quickly grabbed the clothes. Nami quickly hid her clothes in a nearby bush and changed secretly into the borrowed clothes.

It was in that moment that she learned that the warrior women had NO modesty whatsoever. The brown fur top barely hid her cleavage and not only that but the small loincloth she wore around her waist was quite itchy. How the hell had the women worn this without getting a rash? After fiddling with her skirt for a bit, Nami finally decided she had to set out to find Luffy. The entire town had a simple lay out but Nami still couldn't find her way around. The orange haired navigator soon resorted to wandering around aimlessly, hoping that destiny would help her find her captain.

Luckily, destiny was always ever so helpful.

Whilst wandering around, Nami, unfortunately, walked straight into a stranger. Both of them immediately fell to the floor and began rubbing their sore heads.

"Sorry about that" Nami said slowly jerking herself off the floor.

"No, it was my fault I wasn't paying attention" A familiar voice replied. Nami immediately looked at the person she had bumped into. It was the blonde haired woman who had found Luffy. Nami immediately grinned and shifted into "infiltrate" mode. Dropping to her knees, Nami picked up some of the medicine bottles that had fallen out of Margaret's basket and put them back, also offering a friendly hand to Margaret in the process. Margaret smiled, grabbed Nami's hand and used Nami to pull her up. Nami grinned. Infiltration complete.

"Thanks" Margaret said happily "My name's Margaret, I haven't seen you around here before" Nami immediately cursed her luck. She would have to lie so well that even Usopp would be proud of her.

"My name's Nami. I usually stay over towards the east side of town but I've decided to move here to get away from it all, you know?" Nami replied, watching Margaret to see if she had answered correctly. Margaret seemed to nod in acknowledgement.

"Ah…so you're from the east district, well it's good to see you. I had a friend from the east district. She said you're all really nice company" Margaret said. Nami chuckled nervously.

"Yep, we do like having fun" she said hesitantly. "I've decided to move here because of the…loud sea-kings. They always keep me up at night" Margaret nodded once more.

"Yeah, the sea-kings are being pretty loud lately. Personally, I think it's because of those marine ships trying to sail through here, wrecking their habitat" She said.

"What a coincidence" Nami lied "I was saying that to a friend of mine the other day"

"I know. I mean, earlier whilst I was helping this young woman, I heard a loud yell of some kind. It might well have been a sea-king growling" Margaret replied. Nami instantly felt an intense anger at being compared to a sea king, but quickly ignored it when she realised there was an opening she could use.

"A young woman, you say? Is that what all this medicine's for?" Nami questioned innocently. Margaret nodded.

"I and my friends, Sweet Pea and Aphelandra, found her in the jungle. She had eaten the "Grow On Your Body" Mushroom" Margaret explained. Nami faked a gasp and looked at Margaret with wide eyes.

"Seriously? The "Grow On Your Body" Mushroom?" she inquired "What did you do about it?" Margaret grabbed her basket off the floor and shook her head slightly.

"No don't worry; the mushroom had only been in her system for a few minutes when we arrived, she still has a chance to survive. I'm just getting this medicine so she can fight off the mushroom's effect until we can get word from Belladonna" Nami's brow became furrowed.

"Belladonna?" Nami asked inquisitively. Margaret nodded once again.

"She's our witch-doctor and she knows the cure to anything on the island" Margaret said happily. Nami breathed a sigh of relief. At least she knew that Luffy could be healed…though she had to admit the lack of men on the island made her nervous about what would happen when Luffy's gender was discovered.

"Well, do you mind if I accompany you? I really don't know anyone here" Nami asked with a small smile. This was her make and break situation. If Margaret agreed, she could find Luffy. If not, she may be discovered. The seconds were like hours to Nami…

"Ok" Margaret replied slowly, slightly confused "So…I need to go deliver this medicine to the doctor's office first...can you help carry some of these?" she asked, gesturing to a second basket filled with medicine. Nami nodded and grabbed the basket.

"Here I come Luffy" she thought as she followed Margaret along the street.

"By the way, nice hat Nami" Nami blinked for a second and then turned her gaze upward. Luffy's straw-hat was still perched on her head. She smiled slowly.

"Thanks Margaret"

It was when they finally reached where Luffy was that made Nami groan. The place was surrounded by a group of women, who were all looking in and mumbling numerous incomprehensible things. Sneaking out of here with Luffy…would NOT be an option. The crowd of women parted as Margaret and Nami approached. The women all seemed surprised by Nami's presence, so the navigator smiled awkwardly at them.

"Ah Margaret, you got the medicine…and who is this with you?"

"Yes…the saga of "who's your new friend?""

Nami looked around the inside of the building. The two women who were with Margaret before were now standing near the mushroom covered pirate. Another woman stood amongst them with long black hair which was held up in a ponytail. She seemed to be looking quite seriously at Margaret, wanting an answer to her earlier question.

"Kikyou, this is Nami. She's from the eastern district" Margaret replied with a smile. Obviously, Kikyou didn't share Margaret's sentiment and continued to glare at Nami with angry blue eyes. Nami ignored the angry woman and instead, kneeled down beside Luffy and began to unpack the medicine bottles from the basket.

"So Margaret, where do you want me to put these" Nami asked, gesturing to the bottles.

"No need for that my child…" a voice sounded from nearby, making Nami almost jump in surprise. Turning to her left, Nami could see another woman standing in a doorway. Her skin was slightly dark and her raven hair was held back by a headband decorated with a green pattern and white flowers. Nami immediately assumed that this woman was Belladonna. She soon learned she was correct.

"Belladonna, I and Nami managed to get some medicine to help out the patient" Margaret explained. Belladonna smiled at the two and grabbed the two baskets.

"Whilst that won't be necessary girls, I thank you for the kind thought. I believe these can be administered as a pain killer of sorts so they will be quite handy" She said kindly as the baskets were carried away into her office. Nami smirked in self confidence as she realised Belladonna hadn't questioned her presence, probably because of her carrying the medicine.

"Well then, what took you so long to get here Belladonna?" Kikyou asked in her usual angry tone.

"Of course, the saga of "where have you been?"" Sweet Pea added from the side. Belladonna re-emerged from the office with a worried frown.

"Well it's strange. One moment, my clothing was on the line outside, drying. The next second, it was gone." Belladonna explained. Nami immediately began to panic.

"It's probably the saga of "Those troublesome raccoons"" Sweet pea announced with a slight anger to her voice. Margaret nodded.

"It's true. The raccoons have been stealing a lot of things recently" She agreed sadly "And I remember buying you that clothing for your birthday…"

Nami could feel herself slowly shuddering with an awkward chill. Nothing could make this situation worse.

"It's alright Margaret because I found some new clothing outside my home in the bushes" Belladonna said with a smile, removing a familiar battered yellow t-shirt to the group.

"You know what…" Nami thought

"F*CK MY LIFE!"

Margaret looked at the clothes with a great interest.

"Such an unfamiliar design…reminds me of the kind of style that the snake princess usually wears" Suddenly, the entire group gasped. Nami looked from Margaret to Belladonna as the group began to gossip.

"Do you think the princess may have left it for you to receive?"

"Possibly…I did help her with the flu last year"

"WOW, THAT'S AMAZING. THE PRINCESS GAVE YOU A GIFT!"

"The saga of "Congratulations to Belladonna""

"Oh you're all too kind"

"Well done Belladonna. It's nice to see you're finally getting rewarded for your hard work as a doctor"

"Why thank you all of you…"

"I wonder why it's so damaged"

"It's probably because of the racoon that stole those clothes of yours from the washing line"

"Excuse me but I thought we were here to help the DYING PAINFULLY tortured person infected by the stupid mushroom" Nami's voice echoed around the room. She knew that royalty was important and could be respected and admired but there was a time and a place, not NOW and not IN THE MIDDLE OF A FREAKING OPERATION. Kikyou immediately shifted her ever present glare to Nami.

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU CLAIM TO BE A MEMBER OF THE KUJA TRIBE AND YOU DARE TO SPEAK NONSENSE, JUDGING THIS NOBODY AS MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR PRINCESS" she thundered at the navigator, who was slightly taken aback at this. This princess must really be something to be defended and loved this much…even more than the injured and dying Luffy. Luckily, before Kikyou could accuse Nami of treason, Belladonna spoke up.

"Kikyou, she is correct. This useless squabble is wasting precious time" Belladonna explained and immediately pushed through the joyful Kuja and began to examine Luffy. After a few seconds wait, Belladonna finally reached forward and plucked off a single mushroom from Luffy. Luffy, on the whole, remaining unaffected.

"I believe that speaks for itself" Belladonna said, as she continued to pluck mushrooms off of Luffy. Nami and the other Kuja tribe members all began to pluck numerous mushrooms off of Luffy's body. Soon, Luffy was mushroom free.

Nami looked at the witch doctor with a smile.

"Nice work Belladonna, he...she's cured" Nami said happily. Belladonna, however, looked quite serious.

"That's half of the process" Belladonna explained "There is something else we need to do…" Gesturing for Nami and the others to stand back from the still slumbering body, Belladonna removed a match from her pocket and used a nearby snake to light it. Nami gazed at the match confused.

"What's that f…" Nami began but before she could finish, the match was floating through the air towards Luffy's unconscious body. In a blink of an eye, Luffy was on fire and now jumping around the room and screaming in comical fashion.

"LUFFY!" Nami yelled loudly. Was Belladonna trying to kill Luffy? Did she know who Luffy was? Or who she was? So many questions raced through her head but Nami screamed the most pressing one on her mind.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" she bellowed at the doctor. Belladonna looked at her with an odd expression.

"If I hadn't set her on fire…the mushroom's roots would be able to create more mushrooms on her body" Belladonna explained. The other Kuja tribe nodded in surprise, attempting to understand Belladonna's reason for burning their injured civilian alive. Margaret also shared Nami's view.

"Belladonna…don't you think that's a bit extreme?" she asked. Belladonna paused for a second and then, shrugged in response.

Nami turned back to look at Luffy. He was lying down on the floor with his mouth wide open. Nami felt her stomach do somersaults as she looked down sadly at the injured body of her captain. She was shocked to see the large amount of bruises covering Luffy's body. Between the marines, Kizaru, Sentoumaru and Kuma, Luffy had obviously took quite a beating…all to protect her. Nami's hands turned into fists and she started to tremble at the thought. Even with her navigating skills, even with the Clima-Tact, she was still felt useless…she still couldn't protect Luffy…or anyone. She had broken down in the battle with Kuma. She had had to rely on the others to fight a threat that even Zoro couldn't defeat. Nami looked down at Luffy and silently made a promise. She would grow stronger. She would become so strong that even the marine admirals would shudder at her name. She would become strong enough to protect those special to her and Luffy would never have to sacrifice himself ever again…because of her weakness.

Kikyou interrupted her thoughts when she addressed her with an angry voice.

"Hey East girl. What's a Luffy?" Kikyou asked. Nami immediately paled and turned to look at Kikyou.

"W-what?" she asked nervously.

"A Luffy. You bellowed the word when Belladonna set the young woman on fire" Kikyou explained.

Nami was doomed. That was the first thing she thought. The second was how she was going to get out of this predicament.

"I didn't say that"

"Yes you did"

"Actually Nami, I agree with Kikyou" Margaret announced "I think you did say Luffy, what is that?" Nami's mind was going crazy.

"Come on. Think, think THINK" Nami thought to herself.

"I didn't say Luffy…I said…er…luo…ky…yeah, lucky, I said lucky…er, as in "It's lucky we could get rid of the mushrooms"

God damn it that was horrible. Nami gulped loudly. She was dead. So so dead.

There was no way these people were stupid enough to believe that.

"Oh right…I understand" Margaret said with a smile. Nami almost lost her balance due to surprise but managed to save herself and remain standing. Belladonna seemed to nod from the sideline.

"I believe Nami must have got her words confused" she said, looking directly at Kikyou. Kikyou, however, ignored them and walked out of the hut.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you" she muttered to Nami as she passed. The orange haired navigator shivered.

"Great" she thought "I've already made an enemy without even trying to" Belladonna sighed.

"Ignore Kikyou, Nami. She's always been a bit of a lone wolf ever since she was little" Belladonna explained. Nami nodded and turned back to Luffy.

"It appears she's been in a battle" Belladonna commented looking at Luffy's injured form. "I suggest you take her to the springs for a healing bath" The other Kuja members nodded and, before Nami could begin to protest, Luffy was carried outside and dragged towards the hot spring. The large crowd of Kuja tribe members knocked Nami down to the floor by accident as they charged past. By the time Nami was back on her feet, the crowd had disappeared…with Luffy. Nami muttered a curse under her breathe. She stood up, her legs shaking slightly as she did so. Regaining her composure, she looked up towards Belladonna.

"Where…where's the…hot springs?" Nami panted, trying to catch her breathe. Belladonna pointed to the left and Nami immediately ran off in that direction.

"I'm gonna kill you Luffy" she muttered "As long as they don't do it first…"

Nami was panicking. The hot springs were crowded with lots of the Kuja tribe and none of them were too happy to let her through. Angrily, Nami continued to push through the crowd and soon ended up at the front of the crowd. Seeing her arrive, Margaret waved to her and motioned with her hand for Nami to come over into the pool. Nami hesitated at first, but finally, she hopped into the spring, shuffling forwards through the water. Her clothes felt slightly uncomfortable, but there was no way she wanted to strip off and swim without them. This was mainly because of three reasons

1. That would be weird

2. She was still deciding whether this was an island of lesbians and didn't want to send a false message and 3….

THAT WOULD BE WEIRD!

"Here Nami" Margaret said when she approached, passing her a small sponge full of soap.

Nami stared at the soap…then at Luffy…then at Margaret.

She wanted her to help wash Luffy. She felt the eyes of the whole crowd monitoring her. Nami sighed.

"The things I do for you, Luffy" she thought angrily and decided to start washing Luffy. To Nami, the plan was simple. Heal Luffy, then make a break for it.

As soon as she began cleaning the rubber man, everything else was drowned out. She didn't here the crowd's anxious whispers. She didn't hear Margaret saying the healing waters were working well. She didn't hear anything. All she focused on was Luffy. For the first time in the whole of Nami's life, she was nervous. Her face was turning crimson and her hands were shaking. Luffy just looked so…she couldn't think. She couldn't even think of a word to describe how Luffy looked with his hair floating on the water, his chest making rhythmic movement as he breathed and his stomach that looked like it could be used as a cheese grater. Nami's mind truly went blank when she realised something. Luffy was naked…and t-that meant t-that…

"Hey Margaret, Nami" Sweet Pea exclaimed "There's still a mushroom on her body" Nami looked over at where Sweet Pea was pointing and instantly paled. Margaret walked over and blew the bubbles away from Luffy's "mushroom" causing Nami to turn seven different kinds of red. Is this how Luffy had felt when she flashed him in Alabasta? Her heart was banging against her ribcage and trying to use it as a Xylophone. Nami watched in completely confused horror as Sweet Pea tried to pull off the "mushroom".

"DON'T DO THAT" Nami yelled, her face burning with embarrassment as she grabbed Sweet Pea's shoulder. Sweet Pea ignored her and pulled hard on the "mushroom". As a reaction to this, Luffy's "mushroom" began to stretch. Nami's head was feeling dizzy. Luffy's... "mushroom" could…stretch? Nami immediately turned away blushing. Luckily, no-one seemed to notice as Kikyou had spoken up from the side of the spring.

"If it can't be pulled off, let's burn it off" She suggested. Nami wasn't sure whether to laugh or faint, so she instead waded to the other side of the spring. She then pulled herself onto the edge and sat there, trying to calm down.

"You are not a pervert Nami" she thought angrily to herself.

Meanwhile, several footsteps came echoing from behind her.

"Whyat? Whyat? Whyat goying oyn?" An old woman announced as she stepped forward through the crowd. Nami turned around and watched as the old woman reached the front of the crowd.

"Elder Nyon! We were trying to get this mushroom off of this girl's body" Margaret explained. The woman known as Elder Nyon looked over at Luffy and instantly paled. Nyon almost fainted in shock, staggering backwards slightly. Nami didn't need her to speak. The navigator had understood from the look she gave Luffy of what she would say next.

"This yone is…this yone is…a man, is it nyot?" Nyon shouted loudly as she pointed at Luffy with an accusing finger. The members of the Kuja tribe all paused for a moment. This moment was then followed with a loud scream and random yells from all around the springs.

"A MAN?"

"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?"

"THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER SEEN ONE"

The tribe members were panicking like crazy and were running around in circles like they were all insane. Nami, however, remained oddly calm. She guessed it was just because she had given up on being sneaky. She had given up on being stealthy. As soon as Luffy was awake, they were booking it. With a loud sigh, Nami glared at the sleeping captain.

"Well Luffy, look what you got us into this time" she murmured quietly.

This is the island of Amazon lily, home to killer beauties and deadly animals alike. It is a place where men are forbidden…

But one man has managed to infiltrate the island of these killer beauties.

His name is Monkey D. Luffy…and he has just jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire, pulling one orange haired navigator along for the ride.

_**To be continued in Chapter 4: Run, Run, Run**_

_With Luffy discovered to be a man, Nami's easy escape plan becomes difficult very quickly. Can she and the rubber man escape with their lives? Or will the women of Amazon Lily pose the greatest threat the two have ever faced?_

_**Until then I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter**_

_**Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey everyone, Shadowonthewall6 here**_

_**After a long two weeks, the next chapter for Search the wind is finally complete and to make up for the delay, it is quite lengthy for your enjoyment.**_

_**But…then there's some bad news.**_

_**Search the Wind probably won't be updated until the middle of January next year. The reasons for this are that 1. IT'S CHRISTMAS! :D and 2. I have exams I need to revise for in January. After the exams though (or before if I'm really bored) you will definitely get a new chapter.**_

_**And on a brighter side, the last one-shot I'm going to write in this year is all Christmas themed, so you should enjoy that. I'm also planning for some other new stories as well.**_

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**So without further ado, I present to you, Search the Wind chapter 4**

**Warning: I'm british so the word "Color" will be spelt "Colour"**

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_**Chapter 4: Run, Run, Run**_

It had been an odd day for the island of Amazon Lily. The great city, that was built in the centre of a large hole in-between the large stone serpents, was strangely more active than usual. One of these reasons for this hyper active day was because of the shops in the market square, where fruits as large as your head could be bought and traded. Another possible reason for the excitement on Amazon Lily was because of the large stadium at the side of the rock face, in which warriors fought for honour and glory. Currently in the stadium, a massive brawl was taking place between two fierce competitors and the crowd was going wild. But neither of these factors were why the city was so lively on this fine day. Instead, there was another reason why the city was so full of life.

For the first time in years, a man had snuck onto Amazon Lily.

The first thing Luffy realised when he awoke was that it was cold. From this piece of knowledge, he determined two other things. One, he wasn't wearing any pants and two; he was not in a small but comfy hammock on the thousand sunny. He was instead in a stone floored room with a windy draft coming in from in front of him. Jerking up out of his bed, Luffy looked over to the area of the draft and was surprised to see a large group of scantily clad women staring at him. The women were all staring at him. Slowly, Luffy moved out of his bed and stood up, watching the women in confusion. Silence seemed to stand between the crowd of women and Luffy as neither spoke. Luffy tilted his head to the left, the Kuja mimicked him. The Kuja tilted their head to the left, Luffy copied them. Silence was still present. Unfortunately, a few seconds after, Silence decided to leave, feeling ignored and unwanted.

"Erm…hi" Luffy said quietly. Immediately, the Kuja jumped back in surprise.

"IT CAN TALK?" the women yelled, staring at Luffy as if he had grown a third arm.

"I'M NOT AN IT" Luffy yelled in return. Slowly looking down, Luffy realised his pants problem.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE MY CLOTHES?" Luffy yelled in shock, shivering in place. The women were ignoring him, gossiping amongst themselves. Luffy watched them whisper, mutter and talk loudly with each other outside of the cage.

"Amazing, men can talk"

"I never knew such a thing…"

"WE SHOULD ASK HIM WHO HE IS!"

"Er…guys…" Luffy muttered amidst the confusion.

"He doesn't seem to have breasts"

"What are those things between his legs?"

"WHY IS HIS HAIR SO LONG IF HE'S A MAN?"

"Er guys" Luffy said a little louder

"THIS MAN SEEMS STRANGE?"

"Is he saying something?"

"THE SAGA OF "LET'S HEAR WHAT HE HAS TO SAY"

"EXCUSE ME" Luffy bellowed loudly, attracting the attention of all of the women "DO ANY OF YOU KNOW WHERE MY CLOTHES ARE?" The Kuja watched Luffy in confusion. A blonde woman near the front of the crowd stepped forward, holding onto a small bundle of fabrics.

"Er…I have…some here …for you" she said, smiling slightly at Luffy. Her gaze suddenly shifted lower and she looked suddenly confused

"But… can you tell me…what are those things…that you hide in your shorts…in return for your clothes…?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion and then looked down.

"You mean these?" he asked, pointing down to his pelvis. The crowd of women nodded. Luffy stared at the crowd, confused "Oh, okay…an odd question…but if I get some clothes, then I guess it's fair" Smirking triumphantly, Luffy pointed back down to his pelvis.

"You see…these are my 'family jewels'" Luffy said with a wide smirk. The Kuja stared in awe.

"Why do you call them family jewels?" Margaret asked, seemingly staring at Luffy's 'Family jewels'. The straw-hat captain grinned.

"Well…cause they're balls of gold!" Luffy said. The Kuja tribe immediately backed away from the jail cell.

"BALLS OF GOLD!" the group bellowed loudly, jumping back from the cage in shock. Luffy stood there waiting calmly, ignoring the imaginary shine coming from his pelvis. Eventually, the women recovered from the shock and Margaret passed Luffy a new pair of clothes.

Luffy was extremely disgruntled. The clothes were covered in strange frilly patterns. He could just feel his masculinity draining with every second he wore them. Franky would have been ashamed. Luffy suppressed a growl and thanked Margaret for the clothes. Suddenly, a cool breeze brushed through Luffy's hair and the captain shivered. He was missing his straw-hat. Nervously, Luffy turned to the crowd of people outside his prison.

"Er...do any of you guys know where my hat is?" he asked hesitantly. Margaret's eyes widened.

"Your hat?…we didn't find you with a hat"

This was the one thing Luffy didn't want to hear. Suddenly getting very angry, Luffy took a deep breathe and yelled up at the sky.

"WHOEVER'S GOT MY HAT, GIVE IT BACK!" Luffy glared enraged at the ceiling but quickly recovered when he realised the crowd of women had moved far back and were now pointing a variety of bow and arrows at him.

"What…are you guys doing?" Luffy asked nervously. The crowd ignored him and instead focused on aiming for him.

The woman at the head of the archers smiled.

"For your crimes of entering Amazon Lily illegally, we sentence you to DEATH!"

Luffy immediately started to panic.

"Death? I just want my hat, is that so wrong?" he asked. The head of the archers merely laughed.

"Men like you always want something more. Therefore, we will give you some nice painful arrows, followed by a side order of death" the woman smiled as Luffy waved his arms around like crazy.

"I'm innocent. I don't want something more! I just want my hat, my navigator, food, a boat…oh I guess that is quite a lot" The raven haired boy chuckled nervously. The warriors didn't laugh and even the leader of the group was no longer amused. Luckily for Luffy, he got some time from an unlikely source.

"KIKYOU, what are you doing?" a voice yelled from behind the firing squad. Looking behind them, Luffy noticed a woman with slight dark skin had emerged from a door nearby. The leader of the archers looked at this woman with anger.

"Stay out of this Belladonna, we are executing the man" Kikyou announced "This kind and happy routine we've been doing is making me sick. This man DESERVES to die" The woman known as Belladonna stepped forward and glared at Kikyou.

"He honestly has no idea where he is. He's more foolish than evil" Belladonna reasoned but Kikyou grabbed her by her collar and glared into her eyes.

"Does it matter? This man is a danger to us and to our princess. Do not forget your place Belladonna! We are warriors, so it is my duty to destroy this evil man" she bellowed, aiming her bow and arrow at Luffy.

"What's going on Belladonna?" another voice asked, making Luffy instantly turn to the doorway. Standing in the doorway, wearing traditional Amazon Lily attire, was none other than his orange haired navigator.

After a tiring session of following Luffy around, Nami was practically dead on her feet. Luckily, Nami had learned that Belladonna was possibly one of the kindest women she had met. She reminded her of one of the kind and friendly aunts from her storybooks as a kid. Belladonna had offered Nami the chance to have a rest at her home nearby the prison. Nami had gladly accepted the offer and had actually fallen asleep with exhaustion. Several minutes later, Nami had woken by a series of loud yells. Calmly standing up, the navigator yawned loudly and stretched before walking down the stairs. Reaching the bottom of the staircase, she could hear the loud yells more clearly.

"…more foolish than evil" Belladonna's voice sounded from outside

"Does it matter? This man is a danger to us and to our princess. Do not forget your place Belladonna! We are warriors, so it is my duty to destroy this evil man" Kikyou's voice echoed. Nami's brow immediately furrowed. What was Kikyou talking about? With her mind half working due to her drowsy state, Nami walked out into the courtyard.

"What's going on Belladonna?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. The second she reopened her eyes fully, Nami finally realised just what was going on. Luffy was in a cage, fully recovered and staring at her. The Kuja were aiming their mighty bows at him, ready to execute the rubber man. Kikyou and Belladonna had turned to look at her fully, whilst the other women merely turned their head slightly in surprise. Luffy's eyes seemed amazed by her presence and were slowly scanning her body from head to toe. Nami felt herself blush slightly from the focused look her captain was giving her. Nami resisted the urge to sigh or scream in rage at Luffy's awkward predicament and continued to stare in confusion.

"God…what did I ever do to you?" she thought angrily.

"NAMI!" Luffy yelled happily. Nami could feel the air turn cold. Looking to her left, she could see the archers watching her with looks of confusion and suspicion. Margaret looked the most confused and actually lowered her bow.

"Nami…how does this man know you?..." Margaret asked. The orange haired navigator immediately shook her head.

"No, he doesn't know me" she said, waving her hands in front of her to shield her from the questioning looks. Luffy felt a small sad thump in his chest but ignored it.

"He did say your name Nami" Margret reasoned, her eyes turning from a confused glare to a sad and angry one.

"Maybe he mistook me for someone he knew" Nami said with an awkward smile. She could tell the Kuja weren't buying her excuses and one by one, the women seemed to shuffle into a position where they could easily defeat the treacherous women if she attacked. Luffy gawped at Nami in awe.

"What do you mean Nami? I remember who you are, you should remember me" Luffy said with a pout. Suddenly, realisation dawned on Luffy's face.

"Oh, I get it now…" He said, clasping his chin in a thinking pose "You must have eaten a mushroom that makes you forget. Well, I'LL HELP YOU REMEMBER" Nami watched as the other women seemed to shuffle closer to the cell as Luffy cleared this throat.

"Your name…is Nami" he began "You come from Cocoyashi village in the east blue. You're apart of my pirate crew, the straw hat crew. You like money and tangerines and you're the best navigator in the whole world" All of the women seemed to stare amazed at Nami. The orange haired navigator's hands were shaking. Kikyou was eying her with pure rage and was waiting for Nami's reaction.

"Damn it Luffy" Nami yelled and immediately grabbed her clima-tact. Kikyou quickly sprung back and aimed her bow at the navigator.

"Mirage tempo" Nami said as her clima-tact sparked into life. With a swing of the large pole, a cool wind breezed past Nami and her body disappeared. Kikyou growled and fired a collection of arrows towards the place where Nami was. The arrows continued their journey and stuck into the wall. Kikyou gestured to the other Kuja with her hands.

"Find her!" she commanded and the Kuja immediately began to search around the area. Kikyou was about to walk away and start searching by herself, when she heard a loud clunk. Turning to her left, Kikyou realised that Luffy was chewing on the bars of his jail cell, attempting to escape.

"Let -chomp- me -chomp- out!" he bellowed as he continued to chew on the bars. Kikyou smirked and pointed her bow at Luffy. The black haired teen turned to look at the threat and immediately paled.

"Goodbye Man" Kikyou muttered with a psychotic smile as she took aim at Luffy's throat.

"THUNDER CHARGE: SWING ARM!" Kikyou turned in shock as a bolt of lightning flew past her, inches from her face. Nami was now visible and standing beside the angry female warrior. Kikyou swore under her breathe and then jumped out of harms way onto a nearby rooftop. In a single fluid motion, she took aim at Nami, launching a large collection of arrows in her direction. Nami quickly rolled to her left, dodging the arrows and launching a thunder ball in the direction of her enemy. Kikyou flipped out of the way landing back on the street. Strangely, she was smiling as Nami stood up.

"NOW SWEET PEA" she called loudly. Nami then heard a loud grunt behind her. Sweet Pea was behind her holding a giant spiked bat. Nami's eyes widened. There was no way she could escape the bat.

"GUM GUM ROCKET" Someone yelled from the side of her. Before the spike bat could connect with Nami, a mysterious figure flew from the prison cell (squeezing between the bars in the process) and picking Nami up as it flew by. Opening her eyes, Nami looked up to a grinning Luffy, who was carrying her in his arms.

"Hey Nami" he said happily, continuing to run away from the prison.

"AFTER THEM!" Kikyou bellowed as other Kuja suddenly dropped down beside her and gave chase. Luffy continued to sprint forward, holding Nami close as he ran.

"I knew he'd look after you" Luffy said happily. A sudden arrow flew past Luffy's ear.

"He? He who?" Nami asked in a confused tone, still sleepy from her rude awakening. Sweet Pea suddenly appeared from in front of the two, striking down at them with her spike bat.

"Hat" Luffy explained, side stepping the bat and delivering a 'Gum Gum Whip' to Sweet Pea's stomach. Sweet Pea flew to the left and fell to the floor.

"You gave your hat a gender?" Nami asked in confusion. Luffy quickly turned to the right and began to sprint down the street.

"Yeah, it's my hat after all. He always looks after people I give him too" he said with a smile. The loud noise of the Kuja tribe pouring into the street behind them attracted the attention of the other women on the street. Nami looked forwards through the crowd. There was a large gap in the cliff in front of them. If they continued running, they'd reach the forest and could hide from the warriors that were pursuing them. Nothing could stop them now…

"Who wants this last piece of meat?" Nami paled hearing the words.

"Oh…no…"

"MEAT"

Before Nami could react, Luffy turned right and began to sprinting towards the smell of meat. Nami began to complain.

"NO LUFFY, turn around now!" she bellowed loudly. The captain ignored her and continued towards the smell of meat. The meat vender almost jumped as Luffy ran past, grabbing the meat in his mouth.

"TANK VU (thank you)" Luffy yelled as he continued running down the street. The meat vendor looked very angry.

"YOU'VE GOTTA PAY FOR THAT!" she yelled angrily. Swallowing his meat, Luffy turned around slightly.

"I'll come back and pay you when I have my treasure" Luffy bellowed back, only to have an angry orange haired woman grab his ear.

"IDIOT, THAT'S MY TREASURE! PAY IT WITH YOUR OWN MONEY!" Nami thundered in her captain's ear. Luffy looked at her with a pout.

"What happened to 'what's mine is yours'?" Luffy asked. Normal women would have probably caved into this image of Luffy looking like an adorable puppy…

Nami was not a normal woman however.

"I never even said that" she exclaimed loudly. Luffy gave her another pout but Nami was not in the mood.

"Luffy…put me down" she muttered angrily. The straw-hat captain watched her in confusion for a moment before Nami's fist connected with his cheek.

"I SAID PUT ME DOWN!" she yelled in rage. This idiot was going to end up killing her by the end of the day. Luffy reluctantly followed her command, lowering her onto the floor in the middle of the street…and then carrying on running without her. The navigator fumed with anger and was about to share with her captain just what she thought of his stupid love of meat, when she felt a cold feeling pass down her back. With a shiver, Nami turned around. The Kuja were catching up behind her.

"LUFFY, PICK ME UP! PICK ME UP! PICK ME UP!" Nami yelled in a hysterical tone, as she quickly fired a barrage of a thunder orbs towards the approaching women. A long stretchy arm suddenly flew through the air and wrapped around her waist. Before Nami could gasp in surprise, she was flying forwards with Luffy's rubber arms pulling her towards him. As Luffy leaped over a group of Kuja, Nami reached him and Luffy carefully pulled her forward.

"Make up your mind already" he teased with a grin. Nami glared at the rubber man with rage.

"Oh come on Nami" Luffy said as the two landed on the floor "You know I wouldn't leave you" Nami felt a small blush creep up her face as Luffy suddenly began sprinting down the street dragging her with him by her hand. Nami's angry frown slowly faded and made way for small smile. Sometimes, the idiot could make all her problems just disappear.

"Meanie" she murmured half-heartedly as she increased her pace to match her captain.

The two continued down the street, pursued by the angry group of Kuja. Arrows occasionally flew nearby but thanks to Nami's thinking and Luffy's footwork, the two dodged the arrows with ease. Eventually, a giant rock wall was looming before them with Kuja all around.

"What do we do now?" Luffy asked, turning to Nami with a worried expression. The navigator thought for a moment and then winked at her captain.

"Onwards and upwards" she said with a confident smirk. Luffy beamed back and nodded. Putting an arm around Nami's waist (whilst not noticing the blush on her face), Luffy aimed for his target and fired his elastic arm up the side of the mountain. Getting a firm hold of the rock wall, Luffy checked his grip on Nami. Noticing she was secure, Luffy turned around and stuck out his tongue at their pursuers. Immediately after doing so, Luffy catapulted up into the air with Nami in tow.

"GUM GUM ROCKET!" Luffy bellowed as he flew upwards like a speeding bullet. With their chasers far below, Luffy smiled widely whilst Nami giggled. The Kuja watched them ascend with surprise.

After springing onto the top of the wall, Luffy immediately looked over the edge of the wall. The black haired captain's eyes widened as he stared over the edge of the wall.

"That'll be a big fall" Luffy said as his vision seemed to blur with vertigo. Quickly rubbing his eyes, Luffy looked down the wall with renewed determination.

"If that's our only way out of this…" he muttered.

"Oh, there is no way out for you"

Luffy's face fell. He had heard that voice before. Turning around, he realised that Kikyou was standing behind him, a knife to Nami's neck. There was also three women either side of Luffy, aiming at him with arrows. Nami struggled against her captor but with her clima-tact now in the hands of Margaret, she was pretty much powerless. Luffy growled as the knife near Nami's neck became more evident.

"Let…her…go" Luffy said through gritted teeth. Kikyou gave a victorious smirk.

"Now now, you're not in the position to demand anything from us" she said as her venomous voice filled Nami's ear. Nami shuddered in response and tried to break free but Kikyou now had a firm hold of her arms. Luffy glared at Kikyou and suddenly, the air appeared to be a lot colder.

"How did you follow us?" Luffy asked with his eyes shadowed by his hair (seeing as his trademark straw-hat was still placed on Nami's head) Kikyou laughed loudly.

"Please, I may not be skilled with the colour of observation but your mind is easy to read" she mocked.

"Colour of observation?" Luffy muttered with a frown. Kikyou ignored him, however, and gestured with her head for the archers to approach.

Nami looked over at the women and her eye sight stopped when she saw Margaret. She seemed shaken and unfocused, always glancing at the navigator with disappointment. Nami immediately felt the harsh regret of betrayal. Margaret had truly trusted her and welcomed her with open arms…and as soon as Nami had her trust, she had broken it.

"Margaret…" she whispered but Kikyou interrupted her as she pressed the knife closer to Nami's throat. The orange haired woman fell silent and her breathing slowed down considerably.

"Silence Traitor" Kikyou commanded.

"Don't you tell my navigator what she can and can't do" Luffy argued with a rage filled tone. However, at his movement, the archers immediately took aim at Luffy again. Luffy, however, was undeterred.

"Give Nami back" he said with an angry quiet voice.

"I don't think so man" Kikyou snorted as her knife pressed ever closer to Nami's throat. Luffy's eyes suddenly became visible and Luffy's black eyes were on fire.

"I'M NOT ASKING" He yelled as he prepared to charge forward. Unfortunately, Margaret was much more faster on the trigger.

"Fire!" she commanded and the female archers immediately released their bow springs. A barrage of arrows attacked Luffy from his left and his right. The straw hat captain had to quickly dodge back out of the way of the attacking arrows. His foot continued backwards, too far backwards in fact as his foot travelled off the edge. One minute, Luffy was standing up straight. The next, he had lost his balance and was tumbling down the cliff face.

Luffy's eyes immediately looked focused forward as he was about to tumble. He looked straight into Nami's eyes. She looked straight into his. Luffy could feel his body acting before he even knew it. His left arm stretched forward…and he just reached out. Luffy reached out with his stretching arm, feeling around with his fingers. He was desperate. He wanted to save Nami. He just had to save her…

She was the only person who could be his Navigator.

She was the only person who he could save.

She was the only person in his mind, right now.

"NAMI!" Luffy yelled loudly as, with desperation, he stretched his right arm as well, to try to reach his trusted navigator. The seconds moved slow for Luffy. The time passed like an ant trying to push a rock the size of a house. About three, maybe four seconds later (Though to Luffy, it seemed like an hour), he felt both of his hands grab hold of something. With a hopeful smile, Luffy reeled in both of his rubber arms. With Luffy's success, time suddenly seemed to stop his slow careful walk and broke out into a run. Luffy tried to look at what he caught but closed his eyes as the blinding sun was affecting his eyesight. When he felt a feminine form hit his chest with his right arm wrapped around her, Luffy grinned. It had to be Nami. He had saved her. As his left arm reached him, Luffy realised he had his straw hat in his hand. With a wide grin, Luffy took a deep breath.

"GUM GUM BALLOON!" Luffy shouted as they neared the floor. With that, Luffy inflated, landing harmlessly on the grassy jungle floor. Luffy couldn't help but grin. He'd escaped a deadly village of killer women with his hat and his navigator. Not a bad day all things considered.

"You okay Nami?" Luffy asked. Receiving no reply, Luffy sat up and his face fell.

"You're…you're not Nami…"

Kikyou was surprised. That was her excuse if anyone was to ask why she failed to capture the man. She was just having an off day. Of course the fool's stretchy arms had not taken his navigator away but rather the straw hat off the top of her head and someone completely different from beside her. Kikyou angrily pushed the navigator towards another Kuja, who bound Nami's hands together. Nami looked up at Kikyou with animosity in her gaze. Kikyou replied to this by giving her own glare to the navigator.

"So east blue girl…what are we going to do with you?" Nami's glare intensified at this and Kikyou grinned.

"You three…" she said, pointing to three of the Kuja archers behind her "Search the jungle, find Margaret and if you see the man, kill him on sight!" The three archers nodded and then ran off.

"The saga of "What should I and Aphelandra do?" Sweet Pea asked. Kikyou turned her gaze to the large woman.

"You're both coming with me to see the snake princess" she explained. Kikyou then turned her attention back to Nami.

"As for you east blue girl, I think the snake princess would like to meet you as well" she said with another confident smirk. Nami shuddered slightly as the women who had restrained her, pushed her along to follow Kikyou. Her trusty Clima-tact was now attached to Kikyou's belt and there was obviously no way she could reclaim it. With a loud sigh, Nami gazed over towards the jungle.

"Luffy…be careful" she murmured with a frown as she walked away.

Margaret quickly grabbed a knife that was hidden in her skirt and brandished it forward, pointing it threateningly at Luffy. The raven haired pirate was lost in his own thoughts. The loss of his navigator was causing his usual happy and hyperactive behaviour to fade, leaving behind it a serious Luffy. Luffy slowly moved to his feet, causing Margaret to jump back in surprise.

"S-stay away from me...whatever your name is" She commanded but Luffy ignored her, slowly approaching her.

"I want you to answer some things for me" he said with a low tone. Margaret could suddenly feel weak. What was this man doing? Sensing his rising energy, Margaret suddenly realised that a large amount of haki had suddenly emerged from Luffy. Her eyes widened with shock. Did this man know he was a haki time bomb? Luffy, however, neither knew of his rising energy or of the reasons for it. Margaret's stance didn't change as Luffy suddenly stopped, noticing her nervous face.

"Don't worry" he said in a soft voice "I just want to find my navigator and leave. I promise I'll never come back after that but right now, I could really use your help" Realising that Luffy's haki had simmered down; Margaret decided that her odds of winning were decreasing by the second. If Luffy chose to, he could easily defeat her with that kind of strength. Her only choice was to play along with his game…until his back was turned.

"Okay…ask away…" she said, her knife still drawn to protect her. Luffy smiled gleefully at his progress and began to ask.

"Right…so, first question, where am I?" Margaret stared at Luffy confused.

"You mean…you don't know where you are?" she questioned. Luffy nodded.

"No idea" he replied. Margaret stared questioningly at him.

"Well…you're on Amazon Lily, the kingdom of women" she informed him. Luffy nodded slowly.

"So that's why there are no guys here?" he mumbled to himself.

"YOU JUST FIGURED THAT OUT NOW?" Margaret yelled down his ear.

"Second question" Luffy said ignoring Margaret. "How do I get off this island?" Margaret burst out at laughing at this and promptly collapsed against a tree. After a few seconds of awkward laughter, she realised that Luffy was being deadly serious. In fact the poor boy was now slightly afraid of the crazy woman and had shifted a small distance away.

"You mean…you really don't know where we are?" Her reply was a shrug, which furthered her giggling. "Are all men really this dum?" she asked her companion. Luffy paused for a second in thought.

"Well…"

"It was a rhetorical question"

"Rectonigal question?"

"Rhetorical"

"Rectangle?"

"RHE-TOR-ICAL!"

Luffy tilted his head to the side.

"Is that a type of food?" Luffy questioned with a hopeful grin.

"No" Luffy's face immediately fell. Margaret chuckled slightly at Luffy's humorous antics and calmed down.

"Well…this island is in the middle of the calm belt" Margaret explained. Luffy gawped.

"Se…seriously?" he yelled. Margaret nodded. Luffy sighed and shook his head. The Sea-kings were definitely something he remembered about the calm belt. They would be a problem.

"Then…I guess we'll have to find another way to get off this island...but first I need to head back to the village" Margaret stared at him in surprise.

"What? WHY!" she shrieked "You have your hat, you're still alive, what other reason could you have for going back?" Luffy beamed brightly.

"I need my navigator" he simply responded with a grin. "I'm pretty much useless at anything without her"

With their conversation finished, Luffy stood up and got ready to leave. The second his back was turned, Margaret grabbed her knife again and aimed it at Luffy. All she had to do was attack him now and it would be over. However, Luffy turned around before she could strike.

"That reminds me, I never asked you your name" Luffy announced. Margaret stared at the boy in slight surprise.

"M-my name is M-Margaret" Margaret said quietly. Luffy donned his trademark smile.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Luffy. Thanks for the help" he shouted as he continued to run off into the jungle. Margaret was as still as a statue. This man had trusted her...thanked her and then left her be. The poor woman's head was suddenly filling with ideas and reasons for why the man had left her alive. With the amount of Haki he possessed, he could have possibly snapped a mountain in half with the twig…so why didn't he hurt her?

"MARGARET" a voice echoed through the forest. Margaret turned around and after a second of regaining her composure, she stood up.

"I'm over here Nerine" she called. Sure enough, her brown haired friend exited from behind a bush nearby.

"Margaret!" she shouted as she approached, putting away her snake bow and arrow and replacing it with a notepad "Are you ok? Where's that man who kidnapped you?" Margaret nervously watched her feet.

"He…he's…gone to the river, said he didn't have time for anything and wanted to get off the island" Margaret answered nervously. Nerine nodded and noted the fact down on her notepad.

"Well, we better get you back to the village anyway" Nerine said softly as Margaret stood up. The blonde took two steps forward and then looked in the direction that Luffy had ran off in.

"Luffy…" she mumbled to herself

"Is it possible that you're not as heartlessly evil as we thought?"

It had taken Nami only a few hours of knowing Kikyou to understand how much of a bitch she was. In fact, she was pretty sure that she and Arlong would have been the best of friends, had they ever met. The woman would stroll around like she was the queen of the world. After being bound by the Kuja, Kikyou had personally escorted Nami through the city with Sweet Pea and Aphelandra. Where were they heading? Nami had no idea. All she knew was that Luffy, the captain with less brain cells than a jellyfish, had escaped, whilst she, the intelligent and sophisticated navigator, had been captured by the people she had once fooled. Either god had a cruel sense of irony or karma had finally taken notice of the other 6000 letters telling it of the money grabbing super thief by the name of 'Nami' and had finally acted on her years of theft and fraud all at once. Nami tilted her head and looked straight ahead. A large crowd of people were ahead of them. Nami looked around in confusion. Some women, who were nearby, were watching her as she continued to walk forward. When Nami was exactly behind the crowd, she stopped.

Kikyou didn't and instead, put her foot on Nami's back and kicked her forward. The crowd parted as Nami fell forward, cursing the aggressive woman who had pushed her. The orange haired girl shuffled on the floor into a crouching position. With her hands tied behind her back, Nami found it difficult but not impossible. Opening her eyes, she noticed a red carpet on the floor. Why was there a red carpet in the middle of the street?

This thought was suddenly interrupted by a kick to from her left hand side. Nami groaned in pain and tumbled to the side.

"Who left this cat in my path?" a voice asked. Nami shifted her body and looked up at the person who had kicked her.

"Oh, you're not a cat. Who are you?" the harsh voice questioned. Nami, however, was frozen in fear. Standing before her was a tall and slender woman. Her long black hair flowed in the wind behind her. Her eyes shined like a pair of sapphires. Her exotic red shirt and snake patterned skirt barely hid her legs and her cleavage.

Nami's first thought of 'Cold Hearted Bitch' was now replaced by 'Slutty Cold Hearted Bitch'.

However, Nami could not look away from the woman's face. She had seen it somewhere before…

And then Nami remembered.

"_Here's Moriah's private office Namizou, you should find the best treasure here" Lola said happily. Nami's eyes turned into beri signs and happily, she leapt towards the gigantic desk that she assumed belonged to the now defeated shadow king. Opening a draw, Nami noticed a variety of pictures inside. One of them she recognised as Kuma, the man who she had seen make Perona disappear. Were all these people in here warlords of the sea? The thought slipped slowly out of Nami's grasp as she noticed a large pile of pictures of a woman. The woman had long black hair with blue eyes. She looked quite beautiful, which was why Nami considered that Moriah may have had a thing for her. After almost throwing up from the idea, Nami noticed a large pile of treasure beside the desk and immediately jumped for joy._

Nami couldn't believe it. It was obvious to her now that the pictures in the box WERE of Warlords...and she was standing in front of one.

This island belonged to a warlord of the sea?

"Of all the islands we could have landed on…" she muttered as the snake princess approached her…

* * *

_**To be continued in chapter 5: Adventure world**_

_Whilst Luffy fights his way to find Nami, the navigator clashes wits with the great pirate empress, Boa Hancock. Will she survive until Luffy arrives? And what's so special about Hancock's back?_

_**Until then I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.**_

_**Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey everyone, Shadowonthewall6 here.**_

__

**Well, after an incredible month long break, Search The Wind is back! And to make up for this long break, this chapter is also super long for your enjoyment.**

* * *

_**Chapter 5: Adventure world**_

The great marble palace on the far west side of the city was a place of great pride for the Kuja clan of Amazon lily. For centuries, almost a millennia, the sacred place had been the home to countless great empresses, whom had led Amazon Lily with pride and passion. The palace was a tall construct with a large stone courtyard in front of it, which led to a large green oak door. Behind the door, there was a long catwalk up towards the royal throne, with large scarlet pillars either side of the walkway. Light purple curtains hung from the walls of the room and the ceiling, complimenting the slightly dark pink carpet that lined the floor.

Nami was in complete awe at the amazing architecture. She had seen the palace in Alabasta but whilst Alubarna's palace was built for function, it was obvious that this palace was built more with style in mind. The building was just beautiful, obviously the home befitting a princess...

Then why the hell was the ruler of this island a whiny bitchy infant with the body of a super model? Nami just couldn't figure it out…not that she had much time to think about it with Kikyou always keeping an eye on her. She was sure the woman was COMPLETELY enjoying torturing her captive. Nami could still feel pain in her back where Kikyou had kicked her before and she had obviously not taken pity on Nami for being her current state. In fact, she relished in it, constantly bragging to the princess about how she had captured Nami and grinning as Hancock complimented her for capturing an intruder. Nami was just fuming, wishing she could reach for her clima-tact and take out her rage on the heartless Amazon. Luckily for Nami, the walk to the palace had been short and soon, she would be interrogated and could then speak again.

"Hip hip hooray" she thought sarcastically.

"Welcome back Snake princess" a small voice called from nearby. Hancock turned to look at the woman and smiled slightly.

"Thank you for taking care of my castle…er…" The snake princess hesitated for a moment. The woman smiled awkwardly and bowed.

"My name is Enishida…I'm your head servant…" Hancock's eyes suddenly dawned in realisation and she smiled as she bit her lip.

"I…I'm sorry…" Hancock stuttered as the servants who were all around the princess dropped to their knees.

"OH SNAKE PRINCESS! SO BEAUTIFUL!" they called as Hancock chuckled at them. Nami looked to each of the prisoners in confusion.

"DEFINITELY an island of lesbians" she murmured, ignoring the questioning looks from Kikyou. Quickly recovering from the drop to her knees, Enishida quickly stood up and held out a small box on a tray.

"Please Snake Princess; some of our explorers have procured this beautiful gem from a faraway land. It is yours to enjoy my lady" Enishida said with a bow. Slowly, Hancock opened the small box, revealing a small shining green emerald.

"TREASURE!" Nami yelled happily as she struggled against her bonds and Kikyou to get closer than the jewel. The other servants around the room also looked lovingly at their princess with large smiles.

"AWWW" they all swooned "THE SHINE OF THE GEM PALES IN COMPARISON TO OUR PRINCESS' SMILE!" Hancock continued to watch the gem for a mere moment and then calmly tossed it over her shoulder. A distraught Nami stared at the gem on the floor.

"SNAKE PRINCESS" the rest of the servants called. The snake princess in turn replied with a snort.

"Please! Such a poor decoration would merely get in the way of my beauty" Hancock retorted. Nami looked back at the gem with sadness, longing for it to be hers.

"Treasure…" Nami murmured again in a slightly down trodden tone.

Hancock, however, continued walking forwards, stopping for a moment when a strange sight caught her eye.

"Enishida, what is THAT?" she asked. Enshida jumped in front of Hancock and gave a large smile at the princess.

"Well that, my lady, is something the children of the village made for you" Enshida explained. Hancock watched the mysterious doll with interest. It was a statue made from clay which had one of her capes wrapped around it. Nami turned her head and gave a small smile at the sight of the gift. It was good to know some of the amazons were friendly and not all were cruel war generals like Kikyou seemed to be. Hancock took a step forward towards the statue, smiling slyly.

"So this is me…made out of clay?" Hancock said softly and sharply. Enshida nodded.

"Yes my lady, but I would be careful touching it, it's very…"

Unfortunately, Enshida's last words caught in her mouth as Hancock smoothly pressed her hand to the clay statue and pushed it over. The statue hit the ground with a loud bang and shattered into pieces.

"Do not bring such worthless items in here and quickly clean up that mess!" Hancock instructed as she marched off further down the hallway. Nami stared in bewilderment at the retreating back of her captor.

What the hell had Hancock done that for?

"Ungrateful bitch" Nami muttered, receiving a kick from Kikyou.

"Bite your tongue East blue girl before I remove it for you!" Kikyou ordered with a glare. Nami sighed and, grudgingly, continued to follow Hancock down the hallway.

At the end of the hallway, there was a podium with pink curtains. Hancock's snake skilfully slithered up onto the stand. Once there, the snake formed the shape of a throne and sat there contently. Hancock proceeded towards the snake and relaxed onto the snake, sitting on it like a chair.

"Enshida, fetch me some Hakashu (a/n Japanese premium Whiskey)" The snake princess commanded as she folded one of her legs over the other.

"Excuse me…snake princess" Hancock's gaze slowly moved down to the voice.

"Yes Kikyou?" she asked, slightly irritated by the interruption.

"I thought…you wanted to interrogate the prisoner…" Kikyou said, gesturing to the orange haired woman who she had forced to kneel. Hancock flicked her head back, making her hair flip over.

"I plan to do so when I am thoroughly comfortable!" she said with a cunning grin. The servants immediately swooned their princess, commenting on her beauty and wisdom. Nami stayed where she had been placed, stunned by the strange behaviour of the princess.

"What kind of ruler is this arrogant?" she thought to herself. Hancock then shifted in her chair to look at Enishida.

"I said I wanted some Hakashu, Enishida" she called. Enishida immediately nodded.

"I thyink I'll have some as well" a voice echoed from behind Nami.

Turning around, the straw-hat navigator was greeted by the sight of the short old woman who she had encountered at the hot spring.

"Elder Nyon?" the servants asked in shock. Hancock sighed and eyed the old woman with distrust.

"What is it now you old fart?" she questioned with a glare. Nyon smiled deviously.

"Cyan't I come and see my pryncess?" the old woman replied. Hancock, however, was not feeling as happy as her guest.

"Get her out of my sight!" she commanded with a flick of her wrist.

"WAIT HANCOCK!" Elder Nyon shouted back, stopping the servants who were moving to restrain her in their tracks. Hancock continued to glare at her.

"It's 'Snake Princess'" Hancock said with a confident smirk. Elder Nyon growled slightly but then coughed and bowed low.

"Excuse me 'Snake Princess'" she replied. Hancock smiled wider.

"Better" Hancock muttered happily. Elder Nyon, however, was not happy. On the contrary, she was furious.

"The govyerment people's ship is anchored outside. That is a ship that came to pick you up, is it nyot? Were they nyot ordered to escort you by their superiors?" Nyon asked with a glare. Hancock nodded.

"Indeed. They told me to fight in a war"

"Why did you nyot go then?" Elder Nyon bellowed in anger "As long as you follow the orders of the govyernment, this island will still be protected by your position as a warlord of the sea. Plus, you are strong enough nyot to be killed in the war, so why nyot go?" Hancock replied with a pout.

"But…I'm so scared…" she said softly, causing the servants to once again swoon.

"Oh, she looks like a puppy…" Elder Nyon swooned with hearts in her eyes, before stamping her snake staff on the floor "No! I can nyot falter nyow!"

"Listen princess, your status as one of the seven warlords' keeps this country safe! With the new technological advances in the marines, we can no longer rely on the calm belt to protect us from invyaders! If you lose your status as a warlord, this island will suffer a tragedy!" Nyon yelled loudly at Hancock. The princess in question rolled her eyes and took a sip of her newly delivered drink.

"Aren't you the only one who is afraid?" Hancock asked. Elder Nyon produced a crystal ball from her coat as a reply.

"I am ready to die any time, but see the fate of this island through…MY MAGICAL 200% ACCURATE FORTUNE TELLING!"

"You can't have something that's two hundred percent accurate" Nami thought with a sigh.

Elder Nyon then slowly danced around the crystal ball, calling to the spirits to reveal the future. Nami and Hancock both bore the same confused and irritated face as they watched the old woman move like a fool around her crystal ball. With a flash of ink dotted on the crystal ball, Elder Nyon turned around and revealed her prediction.

"You see, GYET GYOING!" she yelled, gesturing towards the message on the crystal words which read in a large font "MOVE IT!"

The room was silent…

"Such insolence!" Hancock yelled as she threw her glass aside, smashing it against the wall "RESTRAIN HER IMMEDIATELY!" The servants nearby did as ordered, picking up Elder Nyon despite her pleas of "Please Snake Princess!" Hancock stood up and slowly walked towards Elder Nyon.

"Just who do you think you are?" Hancock asked as she flipped her back once more "Your area came to an end a long time ago Gloriosa!" Nyon immediately paled at the mention of her former name.

"Three decades ago, you fled this island chasing a stupid desire and now, this kingdom…IS MINE!" Hancock then slowly adopted her 'extreme looking down pose' and laughed loudly.

"You betrayed the kuja you old gremlin and for that, you surrendered this kingdom!" Hancock said as she straightened up and lifted Nyon up by the hair.

"And that is why I live in a secluded corner of the vyillage! To hide my sha-OWWW" Nyon groaned as Hancock lifted her up further and began to stroll over towards a nearby window.

"Then maybe you should have stayed there" Hancock commented with a smirk "You see Gloriosa, I shall always be forgiven for my misdeeds. I can kick puppies and kittens. I can throw an old woman like you out a window. I could even let my selfishness destroy this kingdom and I would be forgiven for it and do you know why?" Hancock then pulled Nyon forwards to torment her and looked in the eyes.

"Read my lips Gloriosa. Because…"

"I…AM…BEAUTIFUL!"

"Bull shit"

Hancock turned around in surprise at the voice. Nami was glaring at the princess with incredible rage. Kikyou was currently trying to demand an apology from her but Nami was focused only on Hancock. The servants jeered at her and shouted loudly, voicing their displeasure at Nami's announcement. Hancock herself was too shocked to say anything and actually dropped Nyon, who scrambled to safety.

"…Come again…" Hancock said, her eyes still wide. Nami gritted her teeth and then repeated loudly.

"BULL SHIT!" Nami then continued with a loud yell "YOU'RE SACRIFICING A KINGDOM BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO LAZY TO FIGHT IN A WAR? GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT" The watching kuja stepped backwards in shock at Nami's disrespect. Hancock slowly began to walk towards Nami, who continued to rant her frustrations.

"LEADERS ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THEIR PEOPLE! NOT LEAVE THEM TO DIE! I KNEW A PRINCESS WHO TAUGHT ME THAT ONCE AND SHE IS A THOUSAND TIMES MORE BEAUTIFUL TO ME THAT YOU CAN EVER TRY TO BE!" Hancock's teeth began to grind together and her hands curled into fists.

"AND MAYBE IF YOU LET A LITTLE AIR OUT OF THAT BALLOON BRAIN OF YOURS, YOU'D REALISE THAT ELDER NYON IS RIGHT AND SHE'D PROBABLY MAKE A BETTER LEADER THAN YOU ANY DAY. AFTER ALL, LEAVING A COUNTRY IS A FEW STEPS BELOW CONDEMNING IT TO DEATH ON THE RANK OF HOW HEARTLESS IT IS! YOU'RE JUST…"

A slap to the face interrupted Nami's rage filled speech.

The resounding sound of the slap echoed throughout the room. Even Kikyou winced as she imagined the pain that must have just hit Nami's left cheek. Hancock stood angrily above Nami, who silently seethed in agony.

"Know your place peasant!" Hancock said angrily, glaring at the insolent woman before her. Slowly, Hancock picked Nami up by the throat and glared at her.

"I was going to interrogate you later this afternoon peasant…but now you've got me quite angry…as soon as I've changed out into some new clothes, you will tell me why you are on this island or else I will personally feed you to the sea kings…" Nami didn't reply the snake princess and merely continued her glare. Hancock ignored Nami's angry look and instead turned to Kikyou.

"Kikyou" she said with a confident smile "Keep this peasant guarded in the corner. I will return shortly" and with that Nami was thrown backwards into Kikyou's waiting arms.

"It will be done my lady" Kikyou said, twisting Nami's arms behind her back. The orange haired navigator winced in pain. Kikyou bowed to the snake princess and then quickly led Nami away. Nami bit her lip and gave an angry sigh.

"Great work Nami" she thought to herself. "You got angry at someone...and now you're gonna die…I'm worried about saying things could be worse but at this point…I really can't see how anything can get any worse now…"

Getting thrown into the corner of the snake princess' palace was not the highlight of Nami's day. Her handcuffs were now itching like crazy and she'd only been sitting down for 4 minutes. Nami sighed and looked up. Kikyou was talking with some other servants. At least she was being left alone. Nyon had wisely disappeared and Nami was quite happy that the elderly woman had escaped. Sure she had gotten herself in trouble, but at least she had helped someone. Despite this positive thought, Nami groaned. She didn't know how she was going to get out of this. Her clima-tact had been taken from her and she'd been left handcuffed on the floor, guarded by Hancock's pet snake. Where was Luffy when you needed him? He could easily beat up the guards and then he'd walk up to her with his wide goofy grin and say.

"Hey Nami" Nami jumped in shock. She quickly turned to look at Luffy, crouching beside her.

"What're you doing over here?" he asked with a grin. Nami smiled brighter than a thousand stars.

"Luffy! You're here! ...wait, where's Hancock's snake?" Luffy regarded her with a look of confusion.

"Oh that snake thingy, I kicked its ass after I climbed up here. I was really sneaky like Usopp so I managed to get up here" he said simply, picking his nose "Who's Hammock?" Nami shuffled back at the revolting action

"Never mind Luffy, just get me out of here" she commanded. Luffy tilted his head in confusion.

"How come you can't run yourself?" he inquired. Nami shuffled her right leg out from behind her other leg, revealing a small spot of blood over her heel. Luffy's face instantly grew grim.

"It's alright but it hurts like hell to walk on…"

"Who…did that to you!" Luffy whispered angrily. Nami gazed in surprise at the angry face of her captain.

"Her other there with my clima-tact" Nami murmured in reply "See if you can steal it for me" Luffy nodded and casually stretched his arm forward catching hold of the Clima-tact and pulling it away from Kikyou's belt.

"Excellent" Nami said happily "Now if you just…"

"HEY! STUPID!" Nami paled as Luffy yelled at Kikyou "YOU HURT MY NAVIGATOR AGAIN, I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!" Kikyou turned to Luffy in amazement…as well as…all…of…the…other…servants…

"LUFFY, YOU'RE SO DEAD!" Nami thundered at her captain. Luffy quickly sprung into action, picking Nami up and running with her out of the room. Violent shouts echoed out behind them as they dashed down the corridor.

"GO RIGHT, GO RIGHT!" Nami yelled.

"Your right or mine?"

"THEY'RE THE SAME RIGHT IDIOT!" Luffy nodded and quickly spun to his right and began along another corridor. The sound of footsteps echoed behind them. Quickly, Luffy darted around another corner and hastily ascended the steps.

"No Luffy, go down DOWN!" Nami directed him. Luffy looked at her and winked in reply.

"That's what they'll be expecting!" he replied continuing to dash forwards "Once we're high up, we can find a way to sneak over the wall and out of the village, instead of running through the streets and getting people following us" Nami looked at Luffy with uncertainty.

"Who are you and what have you done with my blissfully dumb captain?" she asked. Luffy pouted at this.

"Meanie!" he muttered in a way that made Nami laugh. It was definitely her L…not her Luffy, just Luffy. Nami sighed in frustration. Luffy had now slowed down his sprint to a fast walk and was glancing around the corridor.

"We need a place to hide for a while" he whispered with a thoughtful look towards each door "Somewhere they won't suspect" His eyes finally lingered upon a large blue door and a smile graced his lips.

"Perfect" he whispered, nodding to Nami as he gently pushed on the door. The room behind the door was an empty blue room with an oddly wet floor. The sound of running water echoed throughout the room.

"I think we'll be okay here" he whispered to Nami, who nodded. Slowly, Luffy put Nami down on the floor. The wet floor made it difficult for her to stand but the orange haired navigator managed to stay on her feet.

"I think they went this way" a voice sounded from behind them. The two pirates immediately leapt themselves at the door, closing it with a resounding clang.

Nami and Luffy both breathed a loud sigh of relief.

"I think we're safe for now…" Luffy whispered into Nami's ear. The navigator nodded. Slowly, Luffy stood away from the door and began to walk forwards. In front of them, there was a small light blue tiled archway which led to a misty room. Curiosity was slowly getting to be an irritant for Luffy, who slowly stepped forwards wondering about their new surroundings.

"Luffy…" Nami muttered as she crept over to where her captain was "Where are yo-…"

"Marigold? Sandersonia? Is that you?" The voice that called out from the foggy area caused Luffy to step back in shock. Unfortunately, Luffy's foot stepped on a bar of soap and the soap slipped out from under his foot. Luffy tumbled ungracefully forward. He quickly caught hold of Nami's arm to steady himself but Nami wasn't expecting it and the poor girl followed him crashing down. The two landed in some shallow soapy water. Slowly, the two looked up and paled. Standing in the middle of the watery area stood a tall slender woman. Her head was tilted back slightly, looking at the intruders. Her bare back was on full display. The water glistened off of the large red mark that had been the bane of her existence. At the sudden realisation that these strangers had seen her greatest secret, Hancock's eyes narrowed. She swung around angrily, shielding her chest from the eyes of her new enemies and crouching in the water to shield her body.

"You…SAW IT!" she hissed with a venomous tone. Nami was the first of the two to recover and quickly stood up.

"What? We didn't see anything, did we Luffy?" She said laughing nervously. She received no response. Looking down, she realised that Luffy was staring at the woman. The straw-hat navigator adopted a look of confusion. What was wrong with Luffy? The raven haired boy continued to stay where he was, watching the woman with a perplexed expression.

"We didn't see anything…RIGHT, LUFFY?" Nami spoke once again. Luffy ignored her once more. Hancock continued to glare at the two, shuffling slowly away from them. The room was silent.

"You've got a really weird rash on your back. Have you considered getting something for that?"

Nami and Hancock's eyes widened to the size of saucers at this. Nami quickly picked Luffy up out of the water and attempted to drag him away from the room. A large vein popped up on Hancock's forehead.

"SANDERSONIA! MARIGOLD!" The princess bellowed like a banshee. The door to the room burst open and the two large women who Hancock had arrived at the dock with stood in the doorway, blocking the only escape route. Nami stopped pulling Luffy and released him. The ebony haired teenagers head hit the floor and he groaned loudly.

"Meanie Nami!"

"NOT NOW LUFFY!" the navigator replied. Her hand grasped a hold of the liberated clima-tact but the two sisters were faster. The green haired woman kicked forwards with her leg, sending the clima-tact clanking against the wall. At the sign of this hostility, Luffy sprung to his feet but was quickly restrained by the large orange haired woman. His arms were grabbed and before Luffy could act, a large snake had slithered from nearby and trapped Luffy's rubber legs. Nami was also restrained by her hands and held by the green haired woman as if she was to be sacrificed to Hancock. The snake princess was now wearing a white bathroom and was furious.

"You two will never be able to tell any one of this again!" she yelled, holding her hands forward in an odd shape.

"MERO MERO MELLOW!" Hancock yelled, and at this command, a pink light shot out of her hands and a heart shaped ray enveloped both Nami and Luffy.

"NO! IT'S A SLOW SLOW BEAM!" Luffy yelled out loud, causing Nami to groan.

"Luffy! It's not that!" she said angrily. Luffy's rash movements slowed to an almost comic fashion as he struggled against his captor's grip.

"N~O~~N~A~M~I~~I'~M~~G~O~I~N~G~~S~L~O~W!" Luffy called out in an exadurated slow motion voice. Nami gritted her teeth angrily as he watched her captain continue to act foolish. The two were so caught up in their own little world that they hadn't noticed Hancock's confused face.

"Why…why aren't you…stone?" she asked the two. In reply, Luffy and Nami turned to Hancock in confusion.

"Stone?" the duo asked together. Hancock shook with rage, then suddenly noticed something else. Sandersonia, her brave and noble sister, was nervously sweating. Her eyes were wide and her breaths were rasps for air. Hancock raised an eyebrow at this.

"Sandersonia…is something wrong?" she asked nervously. Sandersonia nodded slowly and staggered slightly, almost releasing Nami.

"The…woman appears to be resistant to you sister…" Sandersonia said, looking up at her older sister "I believe…it is because she suppressed her desires with rage…but… I believe she possesses some dormant Haki as well…" Hancock looked disturbed by this fact and glared down at the captured pirates. She could indeed sense a strong will power inside of Nami. Marigold seemed even more perturbed with her prisoner.

"And this one appears to be able to fight the effect of your devil fruit without any visible Haki…" The snake princess fell silent. She had here two people who could resist her charms. She just couldn't allow them to live.

"Call the guards" Hancock said finally "Tell them to take them down to the coliseum. I believe it's time we entertained our people" The two sisters nodded and yelled down the hallway. Shortly after, Kikyou and the group of servants took a hold of Luffy and Nami and began to drag the two away.

Nami accepted this defeat with silent dignity.

Luffy couldn't even spell dignity.

"YOU ASSHOLES LET GO OF ME! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!" he shouted as the snake warriors carried him away. Nami, however, did not protest but was merely lost in thought.

"Haki?" she pondered "What the hell could that be?"

It was an hour later when Nami and Luffy where finally dragged helplessly up a flight of stairs. The servants had then roughly flung them onto the main platform and left them, still tied by the snakes that had wrapped themselves around the pirate's arms. High above them on a raised podium sat Boa Hancock. She was currently enjoying the misery of her enemies and revelling in the loud cheers of the crowd. Her mind, however, continued to wander. The girl with the orange hair had showed that she Haki? Hancock's happy smile slowly faded.

"How…can a peasant have the ability that has been reserved for kings and nobles?" she thought with rage. Marigold had seemed to notice her sister's silent anger.

"Sister…what troubles you?" the large woman asked. The snake princess in reply looked down at the arena below.

"The two of them…resisted me" Hancock murmured in a disgruntled tone. This single fact was destroying the snake princess' confidence. Usually, her seductive charms had been a powerful advantage, but now, they seemed useless against these two…insignificant vermin. What scared Hancock the most was the man. The black haired intruder had resisted her charms without the aid of Haki. How could such an idiot resist her beauty? So she continued to watch her two prisoners with interest.

"Great idea Luffy, let's hide in the mansion! We'll never get caught…idiot!"

"Shut up meanie…"

Ever since Luffy and Nami had been left on the platform, they immediately began bickering. Truth be told, Nami was actually quite happy to be able to see her captain again. She sighed with anger and turned away so Luffy would miss her small smile. They may be captured by a warlord of the sea, but at least they were together.

"Hey Nami…" The navigator turned to her captain and was surprised to see Luffy frowning. "I'm…sorry I got you stuck in this" Luffy continued with a melancholy expression on his face. Nami smiled softly and nudged him with her shoulder.

"Come on Luffy, lighten up. We've gotten out of tougher spots than this" she said softly with a smile. Luffy returned the small smile happily.

Meanwhile, far above the coliseum, Margaret was sitting in the stands, watching the two with interest. Her head was aching as memories continued to capture her attention.

"_Nice to meet you, I'm Luffy. Thanks for the help"_

"_Margaret…"_

"_We are warriors, so it is my duty to destroy this evil man"_

The blonde was quite confused, mostly by the conflicting feelings she was currently experiencing. On one hand, the man…Luffy was a man, a creature most unknown to her and all she did know was that it was a evil creature, yet Luffy had shown her trust even when she had intended to kill him and had shown gratitude to her as well. It was odd to Margaret that one with the power of a king would lower themselves to the level of a humble pirate and thank her with that much sincerity.

"Margaret" a voice said from beside her. Margaret turned to the voice, which belonged to Kikyou. "The snake princess does not know about your involvement with bringing the man to the village. I have made the villagers present at the man's discovery to swear to secrecy" Margaret was stunned for a moment.

"T-thank you Kikyou" she replied. Kikyou smiled in return.

"Do not thank me. I'd hate to see someone who I thought of as a sister get punished" she reasoned.

"KIKYOU! MARGARET!" At the sound of the call, Margaret and Kikyou looked up to Sweet Pea and Aphelandra, who were walking over to them.

"How are you Margaret?" Aphelandra asked as she sat down between Kikyou and Margaret. The blonde warrior smiled at her friend.

"Don't worry, I'm fine" Margaret replied.

"That's good but what's going on?" Aphelandra questioned as she looked down at the arena.

"Yes, the saga of what is happening?" Sweet Pea asked. Margaret's face suddenly became sadder than usual as she remembered Luffy's kindness.

"Well…you see..." Margaret began nervously before Kikyou interrupted her.

"The intruders are being put to death" she explained. Sweet Pea and Aphelandra gasped slightly and turned to the arena. The other Kuja citizens fell silent as well as Hancock had stood up and was now the centre of attention.

"Now, let me ask you man" Hancock bellowed, calmly disregarding Nami's glare at her lack of inclusion "How and for what purpose did you come to this island?"

"I'm not sure how I got here either!" Luffy yelled in reply "One second I was fighting this paw-paw man, the next, I'm here on this weird island"

"Liar" Hancock replied with a sneer.

"He is not lying" Nami argued but Hancock aimed a well placed glare at her.

"Good little girls should speak only when spoken to" she shouted. Nami glared in return "You must have a purpose for being here right?" Hancock finished, her eyes now shifting to look at Luffy.

"If it's a purpose you want…then I want a ship!" Luffy replied "I need to get out of here and find my crew as quickly as possible, and if you can give me that, I'd be really grateful"

"LIAR!" a person shouted from the crowd. The crowd then roared in disbelief shouting curses loudly.

"Adressing the snake princess as 'you'" another woman yelled from the crowd "How ignorant!" Margaret felt her hands clench into fists at the yell, remembering what Luffy had said before.

"_Then…I guess we'll have to find another way to get off this island...but first I need to head back to the village"_

"_I need my navigator; I'm pretty much useless at anything without her"_

"He's telling the truth" Margaret thought.

"How insolent!" Hancock yelled angrily "You do not have the right to order ME to do anything…you will never leave this island alive!"

Margaret suddenly felt a shiver down her spine. Her body acted on its own and she stood up.

"Please wait snake princess!" she shouted, causing the arena to fall silent once more.

Quickly, Margaret leaped from the stands into the arena and turned to face Hancock.

"H-he isn't lying!" Margaret shyly yelled up to Hancock. The crowd began to mutter as Margaret knelt on the floor.

"Please Snake princess…I know this man means this kingdom no harm, he's not that kind of person" The crowd looked shocked. Luffy and Nami grinned widely and nodded like a pair of bobble heads.

"Yeah she's right!"

"We don't mean any harm!"

Hancock looked cynically towards Margaret.

"Are you a warrior?" she asked. Margaret nodded in response.

"My name is Margaret" she said, still on her knees.

"It is a punishment that men who enter this kingdom must suffer death. Why do you defend someone who you have been commanded to kill?" Hancock inquired, her doubtful glare watching Margaret. Margaret sighed and began to shake.

"Snake princess…I feel guilty…you see the reason he found our village…was because I led him here!" Margaret explained nervously. The crowd gasped, mumbling to themselves about this revelation. Sweet Pea and Aphelandra quickly sprang up and ran to Margaret's aid, bowing before Hancock like their friend.

"Please Snake princess, the saga of there's a reason for that!" Sweet Pea bellowed.

"That's right! We thought that the man was a villager because he was covered in mushrooms at the time. We're just as guilty as Margaret!" Aphelandra added.

"The saga of Exactly" Sweet Pea yelled in agreement. Hancock sneered at the trio.

"And her?" she said, looking towards Nami. The navigator growled.

"I found the village on my own" she yelled "These three have nothing to do with me getting here" Margaret turned her head slightly to look at Nami. Nami winked at Margaret and continued speaking.

"I haven't even seen them before in my life!" Nami added. Hancock glared at Nami and then looked over at the three Kuja warriors. Luffy laughed loudly at Margaret, who turned to look at him.

"I guess you were nice after all" he said with a grin. Hancock, however, did not share Luffy's joy.

Slowly, the snake princess made her way forward. The crowd became silent at this. Every foot step Hancock took forward echoed around the arena like an explosion.

Nami and Luffy were nervously watching her descent. Hancock reached the bottom the staircase and calmly approached Margaret. The poor blonde had never been so fearful in her life. Hancock slowly placed her hand under Margaret's chin and lifted it up so she could look her in the eye.

"Raise your head honest Margaret…" Hancock said sweetly with a smile. Margaret felt a blush as looked into the dark blue eyes of her princess "I like honest people" Hancock commented "Tell me, do you want forgiveness?" Nami and Luffy were silent as they watched the scene. Margaret stuttered her shy reply.

"Y-yes…" Hancock then stood up with her sweet grin.

"Stand up" she commanded sweetly and Margaret obeyed. Nami slowly smiled. Maybe Hancock wasn't so cruel.

"See Luffy" Nami whispered "Told you we've got out of tougher spots than this" Luffy nodded…but then his eyes widened as Hancock cast both of her hands forward in an odd shape.

"Mero mero mellow!" Hancock commanded and a pink ray shaped like a heart enveloped Margaret and her allies. In the blink of an eye, Margaret, Sweet Pea and Aphelandra had turned into statues. The crowd gasped.

"Those fools" Kikyou said sadly.

Perhaps the most different reactions were from Luffy and Nami.

"What the…?"

"YOU F**KING BITCH!"

Luffy shivered as he looked at Nami's angry face. Hancock ignored both of the prisoners and turned around, making her way back towards her personal seat with joy"

"Hey…" Hancock had already reached the staircase.

"Hey…" Hancock was ascending the steps.

"HEY!" Hancock stopped and looked down at Luffy, who had a face that just about matched his navigator's expression. "HEY, WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO THEM?" he yelled.

"They have been punished for aiding you" Hancock replied with a flick of her hair. Luffy's eyes widened.

"Because…of me…" Luffy stuttered in disbelief.

"IF IT'S OUR FAULT, LET US TAKE THE BLAME AND TURN THEM BACK TO NORMAL!" Nami bellowed angrily.

"Who do you think you're ordering around?" Hancock asked, not bothering to turn to see the angry navigator.

"Turn them back to normal!" Luffy yelled as well. Hancock sat down on her snake, which seemed to have a large bong on its head (that was a gift from Luffy)

"Bring out Bacura" Hancock commanded.

"I TOLD YOU TO TURN THEM BACK!" Luffy yelled again, now completely blinded by rage. Hancock ignored him and grabbed something from the floor.

"This is the island of Amazon Lily" Hancock announced as she threw the object at Nami's feet. "Where if you are strong, you are beautiful…so you shall die fighting!" Nami looked at the Clima-tact that had been thrown to her. As if on cue, the snakes binding Luffy and Nami slithered away, allowing the two to stand.

"The black panther Bacura will be your executor!" Hancock explained "As his species have been on this island for many generations" Nami slowly turned to look at their enemy and paled. A giant black panther was standing behind them, licking his lips intently.

Somehow, being a stone statue didn't look so bad a thing now…

"Not even a single bone will remain" Hancock taunted. Nami nervously stepped backwards, clutching at her clima-tact.

"Er…Luffy…" she called. The captain didn't move. His straw-hat hung loosely around his neck.

"Luffy…" Still no response.

"Lu…"

"WHAT ABOUT THESE GUYS?" Luffy yelled towards Hancock, gesturing towards the stone statues of the Kuja warriors. The crowd roared with disapproval.

"HOW DARE YOU COMMAND OUR PRINCESS!"

"GET HIM BACURA!"

As if the panther understood these words, he prepared to pounce. Nami shook with fear.

"L-l-l-luf-fy..." Luffy ignored her and continued to glare at Hancock. Nami stepped forwards and grabbed Luffy's shoulders, shaking him.

"Luffy!" she yelled again. Bacura grinned at the sign of his food standing still and then…

He pounced…

Nami screamed with fright and hid her head in Luffy's chest. She closed her eyes waiting for the hit…but she didn't feel anything…

Nothing except the feeling of a familiar straw-hat plopping on her head.

A loud howl echoed through the arena, accompanied by the sound of something hard shattering into pieces. Nami opened her eyes slowly. Luffy had twisted round and had smacked Bacura with his fist. Bacura's large fangs had been smashed and small shards floated on the wind. The panther flew quickly to the left and impacted the stands with an almighty crunch. The spectators jumped away from the large cat and began to shake in surprise. All eyes in the stadium were watching Luffy. The raven haired boy stayed where he was, watching the panther that was now embedded in the rock. Nami watched as Luffy slowly looked over his shoulder at her and shot her a serious look. The sign was obvious.

'Stop being a wimp Nami, you're stronger than that'

Nami smiled slightly and nodded at Luffy. Luffy nodded back and though his face didn't change expression, she could tell he was smiling inside. The audience to this feat were deathly silent. Luffy looked up at the crowd of amazons. He had their attention now.

"There's something wrong with all of you…" he muttered loud enough to be heard in the silence "Your comrades have just been turned to stone by that women, WHY ARE YOU STILL LAUGHING CHILDISHLY?" The crowd's silence was broken with loud yells.

"The savage is shouting at us!"

"What a fierce animal!"

"Of course we feel sorry for them but they deserved it!"

"And you call me the savage" Luffy muttered angrily "You guys are really…er…"

"Hypocritical?" Nami asked.

"Yeah that!" Luffy replied.

Hancock chuckled at this, attracting Luffy and Nami's attention.

"No matter what I do" Hancock began "I will always be forgiven and if you want to know the reason?"

"Indeed…it is because I am…Beautiful!"

The crowds of Kuja immediately began to swoon, swaying from side to side with hearts in their eyes. Hancock looked down at Luffy and Nami with a seductive grin.

"You think so too right?" the snake princess asked.

"You know, you're really pissin' me off!" The crowd stared at Luffy's reaction in shock. Hancock then dramatically fainted onto her snake-chair, groaning in fake agony.

"This man cannot be swayed by my charms?" she questioned with a groan. Luffy continued to glare at her. Hancock shuddered as an unfamiliar feeling ran up her spine. Luffy walked forward slightly and stopped next to Nami. Hancock felt a twinge of rage as Luffy gave Nami a small glance before continuing his glare. The navigator did the same before gripping a firm hold of her clima-tact and adopting a battle stance. These two were ready to go down fighting together. Something about their close relationship…irked Hancock.

"I can not bare this man to exist" she murmured.

Meanwhile, Elder Nyon was watching the arena from the stands. The old woman was, however, trapped in her own memory. This whole incident with these two young teenagers seemed…familiar…

"_Everyone make way for Empress Gloriosa!"_

Nyon could remember that day well…oh so well…

_As always, the seas were calm. A small pirate ship floated on the cobalt blue. The yells of the Kuja echoed all around. Slowly, Gloriosa stepped onto the deck, causing the crew members to swoon._

"_LADY GLORIOSA!" they yelled loudly. Gloriosa ignored them and instead focused on their prisoners. The two looked quite young, both around the age of 17. The male prisoner had messy black hair. The area under his nose appeared to be quite hairy, as if the man were planning on growing a moustache in the future. His captain's cloak that he wore around his shoulders seemed odd, especially when compared with the old straw-hat that clung to his head. His companion was much tidier. She had beautiful strawberry blonde hair with a small red flower nestled in her hair. She was wearing a white shirt with a blue stripe along it. She was currently yelling at her friend._

"_ROGER, YOU IDIOT! IF YOU HADN'T BEEN AFTER THAT SEA KING MEAT, WE'D HAVE NEVER BEEN IN THIS SITUATION!" she yelled angrily. Her male companion whined in-between her angry shaking of her coat._

"_But Rouuuge!" he whined, stressing out the 'u' in her name "I was hungry!" Gloriosa watched the two in confusion._

"_Why are you two here?" she asked in a serious tone. The blonde haired woman turned and bowed low before her._

"_We're really sorry miss snake princess but my idiot captain over here got us lost!" she yelled, motioning to her captain, who was currently picking his nose._

"_You're the navigator" he argued "You should have seen this coming" The navigator angrily turned to her captain and began to shake him once more._

"_Well YOU could have listened to Rayleigh, but NOOO! You just HAD to try out the unstable catapult YOU stole from Newgate!" she yelled. The captain laughed at this._

"_Oh yeah, that was PRICELESS! I remember the look on Ed's face. He was all 'What? My catapult? I thought I left it here? ROGER!' GAHAHAHA!" Gloriosa sighed. These two people were strange…yet she could see that around the arguing, the two always kept eye contact and every so often, one of their cheeks would grow red. These two seemed…closely linked…_

Nyon shook her head and sighed.

"Always the navigator and never the princess, eh?…" she muttered to herself with a sad smile.

Nyon then shook her head and focused on the arena. Luffy and Nami were standing centre stage in the middle of the coliseum. Hancock pointed forward with her hand and gave a command.

"Sandersonia! Marigold! TAKE THAT MAN'S HEAD!" Hancock yelled. The two larger women obeyed their sister and leapt high into the air. With a gentle tap, Sandersonia and Marigold landed in front of Nami and Luffy.

"Do not worry sister" the two chorused "We shall deal with this disrespectful man!" Suddenly, the two women began to change. Nami blinked in disbelief. Sandersonia's skin turned brighter and became a sickening green colour. Marigold's skin changed as well, becoming much paler than she had been usually. Their teeth quickly warped into fangs as sharp as swords. Large tails formed where their legs were and the tails slowly encircled Luffy and Nami. The crowd roared with excitement at this, chanting the word "Execute" like a pack of wolves howling at the moon.

"Looks like they have devil fruit powers as well" Luffy commented. Nami rolled her eyes, hiding her nervous expression.

"No! You think?" she said sarcastically, watching the two large snake-like females as they continued to encircle them "Any ideas?" Nami mumbled to her captain. Luffy shrugged his shoulders.

"I never think this far ahead" he admitted with a grin "But we've got this far so…kick ass and ask questions later?"

"Better to not ask at all" Nami agreed, holding her clima-tact close. Nami had never experienced a fight as difficult as this before but she had already decided to get stronger to help Luffy, maybe this was the first step in doing that. Hancock gave a sinister smile and called loudly.

"Begin…"

* * *

_**To be continued in Chapter 6: Hurricane girls**_

_It's sink or swim time for Nami as she and Luffy enter a brawl with two powerful devil fruit users. __Will Nami perceiver and show she's got what it takes? Will Luffy's rubber powers be enough to contend with the mysterious forces of Haki? And what other tricks do these snake sisters have up their sleeves?  
No matter the answers, it's the tag team match of the century next time on SEARCH THE WIND!_

_**Until then I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.**_

_**Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hey everyone, Shadowonthewall6 here with a new chapter on 'Search the Wind' and I hope you like it, because I had a lot of problems writing this chapter.**_

_**The first problem with this chapter was that I had serious writer's block at points in this chapter.**_

_**Another problem I had was that a few days ago, my laptop broke and because of that, I almost lost all this data…almost being the keyword because I managed to save it onto my memory stick and put the files onto another computer and now it is finally finished.**_

_**And to make up for another long wait, I have made this chapter really long for your enjoyment**_

__

**Also, please review and tell me what you think as this is my FIRST major battle scene (technically there was one in the first chapter but it was more like a slap to the face than a battle)**

* * *

_**Chapter 6: Hurricane girls**_

"EXECUTE!"

That was all that Luffy could hear. The stands of the coliseum were filled with these chants of death. Sandersonia and Marigold towered high above him in their snake forms. The two sisters were laughing loudly, just waiting for the first move to be taken.

"Should I gobble them up?" Sandersonia suggested. Marigold shook her head disapprovingly.

"There won't be much to eat after I've strangled them to death" the large orange haired serpent taunted with a smirk. Luffy remained still for a moment, but then began to speak.

"Hey, can we wait a second?" he yelled at the towering behemoths.

"You can't beg your way out of this you fool!" Sandersonia jeered with a chuckle.

"It's not that" Luffy began "I just want to get those guys out of the way first" The two snake sister's eyes widened as Luffy turned around and walked towards the statues. Marigold was fuming with rage.

"How dare you…TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!" she bellowed, grabbing her staff and preparing to slash Luffy.

"Thunder ball!" As Marigold's staff came down near Luffy, it was blocked by an electrical ball, which shocked the staff and sent a static charge into Marigold's left arm. Marigold recoiled in pain, supported by her sister's tail that caught her before she could hit the floor. The golden eyes of the snake sister's looked down at the orange haired navigator, who stood before them with her clima-tact.

"I think it'd be better if you keep out of this" Nami yelled at the gorgon sisters. She couldn't help but smile as the two sisters glared at her.

"Fool" Sandersonia mocked "You believe that you can defeat us" Nami's reply was to stick out her tongue. Sandersonia growled at this. Slowly, Nami turned around to check on Luffy's progress. Luffy had managed to relocate all 3 of the statues quickly but carefully, gently plopping each into a standing position. The straw-hat captain stood up and gave the large serpents a grin.

"Right, now they're safe I can focus on kicking your asses!" he announced loudly. The crowd's cheers of execute suddenly fell silent. Marigold and Sandersonia also shared a shocked expression at this.

Then, one by one, all of the Kuja broke out into an incredibly large laugh, bellowing their joy to the world. Nami looked around in confusion, noticing the same laughter emitting from Sandersonia and Marigold.

"Why are they laughing?" she wondered. Luffy also had the same perplexed expression.

"I…I can do that right?" he asked. Marigold laughed slightly more at this.

"Of course you can…" Marigold began "IF YOU HAVEN'T GIVEN UP ON YOUR LIFE YET!" Luffy smirked at this.

"Nah, I can't die yet…I've still gotta find One Piece yet" he replied. This response gained more laughter from the two sisters.

"A brat like you? Finding the fabled treasure of One Piece?" Sandersonia giggled "Wow, men are really funny aren't they?"

"Shut up" an angry Luffy yelled in reply "I AM gonna beat you guys, I AM gonna get me and Nami out of here…and then, I AM gonna be king of the pirates!" The sister's weren't sure whether it was bravery or stupidity that Luffy possessed to make him think he and his puny navigator could defeat them.

"I'll give you a fair warning then" Marigold announced "I won't mind it if it happens but if you fall of the edge, then you'll fall into the spikes below!" Luffy and Nami both gave an uninterested nod.

"MARIGOLD!" a loud voice echoed from behind the two serpents "I AM GETTING IMPATIENT, KILL THEM ALREADY!" Marigold grinned.

"It will be done Sister!" she yelled in reply. Boa Hancock smiled slightly then leaned back on her snake chair. This was going to be good.

Marigold quickly spun her spear around and struck the ground where Luffy was standing. The straw-hat captain leaped away from the blow, landing firmly back on the arena floor. Marigold continued to spin her spear around and then delivered five slicing blow towards Luffy. In return, Luffy leaped, crouched and rolled out of the way of every shot.

"TAKE THAT AND THAT AND THAT!" Marigold yelled as Luffy danced between her blade strokes. Luffy dodged left and right then up and down, barely missing the sharp staff on multiple occasions. Finally, as Marigold struck down on the ground, Luffy leaped high into the air, vaulting over her head in the process. Marigold turned slightly to see Luffy flying through the air.

"Not bad little man" she thought as she gripped her spear tighter.

Sandersonia had also begun her attack on Nami. The mighty serpent brought a vicious fist fall on Nami, who rolled out of the way.

"I need some way to defend myself against her" Nami thought to herself. Sandersonia chuckled and launched a large fist at Nami, who gracefully dodged once again. Nami, thinking fast quickly gripped her Clima-tact.

"Thunder charge" she announced, a small ball of electricity popping out of her clima-tact as she spoke and promptly, spinning round on one end of it. Sandersonia laughed at this.

"You think you can defend yourself with such a puny spark?" she taunted, preparing to bring another fist down on Nami.

"Let's hope this works" Nami thought nervously as she put her plan into motion. As Sandersonia launched an attack at Nami, Nami spun her whole Clima-tact around as quickly as she could. Like magic, the thunder orb seemed to understand what she was doing and sprinkled itself out in front of the spinning clima-tact, like a shield of lightning.

"Thunder wall*!" Nami yelled loudly. The thunder shield that was created became more solid the faster Nami spun it around and now, it resembled a solid circle of lightning. Sandersonia recklessly launched another fist towards the shield. The thunder wall reacted by sparking out a jolt of electricity into her hand, causing Sandersonia to retract her hand, screaming in pain. Nami smiled at this.

"Thank you Usopp" she thought with a smile "This weapon of yours is really versatile" Slowly, the thunder wall disappeared and Nami was left standing there smirking. She was definitely improving already…not by much, but she was improving.

As Luffy flew along behind Marigold, the snake sister turned around and launched some strangle purple spit from her mouth. Luffy barely dodged the purple liquid as it almost brushed his head. The raven haired teen spiralled out of control. Stretching out both arms, Luffy was able to catch hold of one of the railings that surrounded the arena and pulled himself towards the railing.

"Poison?" Luffy muttered "I better be more careful" Marigold smirked at this announcement.

"One of the deadliest poison's in the world, too bad for you" she chuckled, launching another poisonous spit towards Luffy. Luffy quickly dodged the poison and leaped back onto the arena, twisting around other poisonous spits as he did so.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not nice to spit at people?" Luffy bellowed as he sprinted forwards. Marigold spit out more poison, which Luffy strafed around to avoid. Jumping up into the air, Luffy launched his foot towards Marigold.

"GUM GUM STAMP!" Luffy bellowed as the foot sailed through the air towards Marigold…only for it to bounce off of Marigold's palm.

"Didn't YOUR mother ever tell you not to hit a girl?" She taunted as Luffy ricocheted away from her. Marigold's tail then lashed at Luffy as he hit the ground, causing him to spiral backwards and hit against the railing once again.

"Ow…" Luffy muttered clutching his stomach "That hurt…wait a minute…that hurt? But I'm made of Rubber! That shouldn't have hurt me"

Seeing Luffy hitting the railing, Nami turned to look at him.

"Luffy!" she yelled loudly.

"Better keep focused on our fight" Nami paled and turned around to see Sandersonia launching her tail towards her. Acting on instinct, Nami pulled her clima-tact in front of her and spun it round once more.

"Thunder charge: thunder wall!" she commanded as the sparks once again left her clima-tact. Quickly another lightning shield was formed to protect her…only for Sandersonia's tail to continue through the shield and hit her right in the face. Nami fell backwards, obviously surprised by the change in the fight.

"But…how?" she murmured, her face holding her jaw. Sandersonia grinned.

"Fool me once, shame on you but I will never be fooled by your tricks again!" the snake woman said with a smirk "I'm afraid if that's the only move you have, then this battle will end quickly" Nami shuddered slightly.

"These people can hurt Luffy…and break through my thunder wall like it was nothing…what powers do these two possess? " she wondered. Unluckily for Nami through, before she could stand up, Sandersonia was standing over her.

"Goodbye" Sandersonia chuckled as she launched a huge fist at Nami…

As Marigold struck down at Luffy with her spear once again, Luffy jumped out of the way, soaring high into the sky.

"Did I lose my rubber powers or something?" Luffy asked, staring at his hands. To check, Luffy pulled hard on his cheeks. As expected, they stretched.

"Guess not" Luffy mumbled "Then why do their attacks hurt me?" Luffy shrugged and prepared himself for a second round of fighting…until a tail wrapped around him from behind.

"Come on 'Mari', I wanna play with the man too. That girl over there doesn't have a lot of fight in her anymore" Sandersonia hissed as Luffy struggled against her tail.

"That girl?" Luffy thought and looked over in Nami's direction. His eyes widened. Nami's body was lying on the floor in a crumpled heap…

She wasn't moving…

Suddenly, Luffy found himself enraged and was lashing out against Sandersonia's tail like crazy.

"NAMI!" he yelled loudly "GET UP NAMI!" The navigator didn't respond and Luffy turned his rage towards Sandersonia.

"GUM GUM GATLING!" he thundered, launching a multitude of fists in Sandersonia's direction. Sandersonia smirked and squeezed her tail tighter. Luffy's arms fell short of their target and the rubber man let out an ear splitting scream.

"IT HURTS! WHY DOES IT HURT?" Luffy screamed, struggling to free himself. This feeling felt so familiar. He'd been in pain recently…but how? Then, Luffy remembered.

"Th-at axe guy!" Luffy choked out "The one fr-om the Ar-chi-pel-ago, he was li-ke th-at too…me-an-ing it's not a de-vil fr-ui-t…de-vil…fr-ui-t…pow-er…" The straw hat captain once again let out a yell as Sandersonia squeezed her tail tighter. Luffy felt himself slowly growing weary. His mind was getting more and more unfocused because of the pain.

"Is…is this it?" Luffy thought as his eyes began to droop. All that Luffy could see now was the arena. The white stone tiles…the red fence…Nami…NAMI? Luffy's eyes widened at the sight of his navigator lying on the floor.

"No" he muttered angrily. Nami was in trouble. He had to get out of this…for her. She was his navigator, his responsibility.

"_Take good care of Nami boy" Genzo yelled loudly as the Going Merry sailed away from the dock. Luffy grinned and held his thumbs up in a reply._

"I…pr-om-is-ed" Luffy muttered struggling once more to free himself. Sandersonia casually lowered her tail, allowing Luffy to look her in the eye.

"So you're a devil fruit user too?" she laughed. Luffy glared at her.

"You h-urt Na-mi?" Luffy mumbled, his voice growing hoarse from his loud screaming. Sandersonia grinned.

"She was an easy kill" she taunted, causing Luffy to grow more frustrated "It was disappointing as well. I thought that because she showed Haki earlier, she'd be a better a bigger threat. You don't have Haki either right? Only few people outside of this island can use and master such a noble power. That is why you are weak!" Luffy growled.

"Left foot…" Sandersonia murmured as she pre-emptively dodged Luffy's kick. The raven haired boy watched in surprise as his blow missed.

"She predicted my attack?" Luffy asked aloud in shock. Sandersonia then lifted her tail high into the sky. "Why are you doing this?" Luffy yelled at his captor. Sandersonia froze for a second, a cold chill running up her spine.

"Because…you saw one of our marks" the snake explained in a whisper "and we would rather die than let anyone see that mark on our backs" Luffy's eyes slowly widened. What mark was this woman talking about? That rash on the princess' back? Was that the mark? Now that Luffy thought about it, that mark did look…familiar…

"Snake…drop" a voice hissed as Sandersonia's tail plummeted down, smashing into the floor with Luffy. A loud crash echoed through the stadium and cheers erupted from the crowd. Amidst the crater the tail had created in the floor, lay a bruised and beaten Luffy.

He slowly staggered to his feet, slightly tipping over to one side. Despite how rough he felt however, Luffy was glad to be away from Sandersonia's grasp. Looking over to the form of Nami still lying on the ground, Luffy's resolve hardened. The straw-hat captain began to sprint towards his target…only for a large green serpent to intercept him.

"Not so fast" Sandersonia grinned as Luffy scowled at her.

"Out of my way" he commanded. When Sandersonia didn't move, Luffy leaped into the air.

"GUM GUM GATLING!" Luffy roared once more as his barrage of fists flew through the sky, towards Sandersonia. The green serpent chuckled.

"Snake dance" she said calmly. Sandersonia then casually began to move her body from side to side, weaving in between each attack.

"You're too easy to read" she commented, placing both of her arms behind her head with a relaxed smile "I've already grasped your movements" Luffy seethed with anger, attacking Sandersonia with a renewed anger.

"Better be careful" a voice hissed from behind him. Luffy's eyes widened but he couldn't react as Marigold's tail impacted his stomach at a rapid speed.

"SNAKE STICK!" Marigold chortled as the straw-hat captain rolled backwards on the ground. Luffy was already disorientated by the numerous attacks and his rolling trip across the stadium was definitely making him dizzier. As Luffy opened his eyes once more, he noticed the stone statues of Margaret, Sweet Pea and Aphelandra below him.

"Shit" he cursed as he kicked off against the wall in order to miss the rocky images of his friends. Luffy grinned but his happy expression soon faded as two twin tails raced up to him.

"TWIN SNAKE TAIL SLAM!" the two sisters chorused as their twin tails crushed Luffy. The raven haired pirate gave out a loud gasp for air and then his eyes slowly closed.

The pain…Luffy had never felt pain like this before…Nami and Garp had also hit him for being stupid and those punches hurt, just not like this. The pain Luffy was in was extraordinary. Allowing his eyes to close, Luffy groaned as he fell towards the spikes below.

This was it.

The end of the road…

Was this how he'd die?

Pathetically thrown to his death by a pair of super powered sisters?

Luffy's eyes wearily closed and, being unable to move, braced himself for the inevitable pain.

"CYCLONE TEMPO!"

Luffy's eyes widened. Instead of landing on a group of sharp spikes in the pit below, Luffy collided with a large current of air which propelled him upwards. The black haired teen soared upwards, landing back on the arena softly and carefully. This strange thing had confused Luffy to no end. Suddenly, his questions were answered as a blue cross suddenly flew past his face, only to be caught by a mysterious hand.

"As I thought, combining the cool and heat balls together created an air current" Luffy jumped at hearing the voice and turned to see his navigator standing beside him. Her bright chocolate eyes lit up at his stare. An overwhelming feeling of joy came upon Luffy and he managed to grab Nami and pull the bewildered navigator into a hug.

"NAMI!" Luffy bellowed happily, holding tightly onto the orange haired woman "I thought that snake woman hurt you" Nami blushed slightly at the rough embrace but offered Luffy a grin.

"Come on Luffy, you didn't forget that the clima-tact can make mirages right?" she asked. Luffy looked away embarrassed, a pout on his lips.

"No…I just didn't remember it" he confirmed with a nod of his head.

"Well now we're together, I think we stand a better chance against them" Nami chuckled, her grin turning more confident.

"Impossible" A loud and obnoxious voice called out. The two pirates looked up to see Boa Hancock smiling at the battle from her high up pedestal. Her sapphire eyes twinkled with the joy of her prisoner's pain.

"You two are all talk" she taunted with a playful smile on her lips "A man with a devil fruit and a witch with a magic staff. How amusing you two are"

"YOU'RE THE WITCH HERE!" Luffy bellowed in reply, angrily gritting his teeth. The snake princess responded to this by gasping and collapsing against her seat.

"~What a brute!~" she commented with a dramatic swing of her left arm. The crowd of amazons rose into an uproar.

"HE INSULTED THE PRINCESS AGAIN!"  
"UNFORGIVEABLE"

"SILENCE HIM!"

Only two of the Kuja remained silent. One was Elder Nyon, who was quietly watching the battle with interest. The other quiet watcher was, surprisingly, Kikyou.

"How? Why?" Kikyou wondered to herself. The man who she had just helped capture was now going out of his way to protect the three stone warriors. The woman she had insulted for being weak was now fighting like a true soldier, fighting to defend people who she barely even knew. By all accounts, Kikyou should have hated these pirates. They were outsiders, they were troublemakers and they had even had the audacity to shout at the snake princess. Yet strangely, by some odd luck, Kikyou was, for some reason, feeling more and more attached to these strangers the more she watched them fight.

"East girl…Straw-hat" she murmured quietly "Why are protecting them?"

Boa Hancock was not sharing Kikyou's opinion of the two pirates, however.

"SONIA! MARI! END THIS MAN'S LIFE!" she thundered, her anger coming forward full force. Sandersonia and Marigold smiled.

"SO I DON'T HAVE TO HEAR!"

Luffy and Nami glared at the princess.

"HIS FILTHY TALK AGAIN!"

The crowd roared at the command with cries for blood. Sandersonia, however, gave a sigh.

"What a shame" she said "I was hoping to have more fun but, I guess we have to follow our sister's orders…"

"Then playtime is over" Marigold announced, gripping her staff tighter. Sandersonia then flicked her head to the side in agreement. Her tail also reacted to this movement, shuffling around Luffy and Nami to the edge of the arena. The tail wrapped around an object and pulled up the stone Margaret.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Luffy yelled angrily as Margaret was shaken by the tail.

"Put her down!" Nami bellowed. Sandersonia responded by chuckling with Marigold.

"She saved my life! Put her down!" Luffy shouted louder than before. Sandersonia turned to Luffy with a grin.

"Then I'll break her" Luffy and Nami's eyes widened

"If she saved your life, she's a criminal too…" Marigold responded with a hiss.

"Too bad for her really but it's your punishment" Sandersonia chuckled.

"STOP SCREWING WITH ME!" Luffy shouted louder as he sprinted towards Sandersonia "THIS FIGHT IS BETWEEN YOU AND ME!" Unfortunately, Luffy was intercepted by Marigold, who struck him back with her tail. The poor rubber man fell backwards onto the cold tiled floor.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled running over to her captain. Unfortunately, before she could arrive at his injured form, Marigold's tail wrapped around her and lifted her into the air. Luffy managed to get to his feet just as Marigold retreated away from him. The two snake sisters were now surrounding him on either side of the stadium.

"NAMI!" Luffy yelled up to the captured navigator. Nami was about to shout a reply when Marigold's tail tightened around her exponentially. An unearthly scream erupted from Nami's mouth, which made Luffy shiver. The straw-hat captain was about to go towards Marigold, when he noticed Sandersonia was tapping the rock Margaret with her finger.

"Let go of them!" Luffy yelled at the sisters. Sandersonia chuckled.

"Come on straw-hat, you can only save one of them" she taunted.

"Will it be the navigator who you so desperately wish to escape with or the warrior who saved your life?" Marigold added. Luffy glanced between the two girls, frustration showing on his face.

"LET THEM GO!" he repeated but to no effect "I'M NOT GONNA CHOOSE! THIS ISN'T FAIR!" The two snakes laughed loudly.

"Life's not fair" Sandersonia hissed with a bitter tone.

"Things happen sometimes that we don't like" Marigold said in addition "and you have to stick with them…" Luffy froze for a moment. Why did this speech…seem so sincere? He looked up at the large snakes, who both had melancholy expressions.

"Sometimes you just have to live with the scars"

"Sometimes you can't save everyone… you can't even save yourself…" The two snake's faces suddenly became sinisterly amused.

"But you can't even fight off us"

"You're out of your league!"

"If you want to stop one of us then choose who you'll save…but the other one dies" Luffy's eyes widened and his face fell into a desperate, pleading gaze.

"Please…stop it…" His pleas fell on death ears.

"She admired you three!" Nami bellowed loudly, amidst her torture "All of these women do, is this how…" Nami's speech was cut off by Marigold squeezing her tail tighter, causing Nami to scream in pain. Luffy's once joyful face was now angry and sad. His eyes were watering.

"LET THEM GO!" Luffy repeated with rage.

"Either you save one of them…" Sandersonia whispered

"Or they both die…" Marigold finished, continuing her choke hold on Nami. The navigator screamed once more. Luffy was constantly looking between the two damsels, his gaze unfocused and blurry.

"Stop it…" he murmured.

"_Sometimes you can't save everyone…"_

_Roronoa Zoro gazed up at the great pafista._

"Stop it…"

_The musician was gone, his laughter left unfinished as his skull joke floated across the wind_

"I…can't lose anyone else…"

_The sharpshooter's scream caught in his throat and Usopp disappeared..._

_Sanji, enraged beyond belief, ran at the pirate warlord. His cry of "DAMN IT" fell on deaf ears. Kuma had already struck him down…_

_Fading…fading…fading…_

"Let them go…"

_His palm then came striking down on Franky…and the blue haired mechanic was no more._

_Chopper roared loudly and with a loud pop, he had disappeared._

_Robin was already gone._

"Stop…stop…"

Sandersonia and Marigold's tails raised up high. The crowd was silent except from a murmur of sad goodbyes.

"CHOOSE STRAW-HAT!" the snake sisters yelled as their tails came crashing downwards…

"_Haki?"_

"…I…told…you…"

"…TO STOOOPPP!"

An incredible blast of wind burst out from around Luffy as he yelled those words of defiance. The ground shuddered at the yell and the stands shook slightly at the pressure that had just been released upon them. The large serpent women froze as the wind hit them, their eyes wide with disbelief. The wind even raced upwards, causing Hancock to recoil slightly from the gust of wind. Every body in the arena suddenly became completely still. The coliseum fell into a state of complete silence. Slowly, the wind dyed down but the silence still lingered over the stage. Then it happened. One by one, random Kuja in the stands began to collapse, slumping in their seats. Some fell back onto their seats, others slid onto the shoulders of their nearest companions whilst some hit the seat in front as they fell. The small remainder of the crowd that was left were in a complete panic. With their friends fainting and dropping like flies, the remaining crowd felt extremely nervous about the power that Luffy had just demonstrated.

The two snake sisters paused where they were, both Nami and Margaret dangling upside down at least an inch from the floor. Marigold was frozen as Nami squirmed out of her hold. Sandersonia also surprisingly placed Margaret gently on the floor. Luffy immediately sprinted over to Nami, who was lying on the floor panting. She was too shaken to move. The straw-hat navigator shuddered uncomfortably on the floor. As Luffy reached her, he noticed her strange shaking. He carefully crouched down beside Nami and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Nami?" he whispered. The sound of her name seemed to shake the orange haired woman out of trance and she became still. Slowly, her head turned to look at Luffy.

"L-l-luffy?" she asked hesitantly. The straw-hat captain grinned in reply. At this trademark grin, Nami shot up and embraced Luffy, much to the raven haired teen's shock.

"Thank god" he heard Nami murmur "I thought I was dead for a second there" Luffy's smile returned and he stood to his feet, pulling Nami with him.

"It's okay Nami, I'm here" he reassured her before the two broke out of the hold. Nami's cheeks were probably on fire now but she completely forgot about that fact when she noticed the number of collapsed people in the stands.

"Luffy, what did you…" she began before noticing Luffy had ran off to check on Margaret. Luffy slid to a stop on his knees as he approached the statue and quickly examined it for any cracks. Luckily, Luffy didn't see any and he smiled at this revelation.

"Ah ha!" he laughed slightly "Not a scratch, looks like you guys did listen to me after all…thanks" Marigold and Sandersonia remained frozen by this.

"Doesn't he…know about…the power he possesses?" the duo murmured together.

"I've only see our sister use the haki of the conqueror…why can this street rat use it?" Sandersonia wondered.

"This kid…has the quality of a king…the ability to make all kneel before him…" Marigold thought uneasily.

Hancock was also quite perturbed by these turn of events.

"He...has the king's haki, as I do…what is going on?" Hancock whispered to herself "Who…or what is that boy?" More curious shouts emerged from the remaining crowd

"How does he know THAT?"

"Only one in a million should be able to use it"

"This kid is…unbelievable…"

Luffy ignored these whispers and refocused on the two large snakes.

"You guys are really noisy, what are you talking about anyway?" he asked in confusion.

"He can't control it?" Sandersonia questioned quietly

"Such power left unchecked could be…devastating!" Marigold added with a hiss. Ignoring their comments, Luffy began to stretch.

"Alright then…I can tell you guys are strong so…let's continue the fight!" Luffy announced, boldly cracking his knuckles. Unfortunately for Luffy, his confidence was quickly taken away as Nami promptly whacked him over the head.

"Idiot!" She yelled angrily "Why do we have to keep fighting? They've just shown they can beat us!" Luffy looked down at the statue of Margaret below him for a moment and then turned to Nami with a determined gaze.

"We've tried running from this all day, but you can't keep running from your problems" Luffy argued "Because you can't run forever and eventually, the only way to get rid of that problem is to stand up and face it head on. If you don't…" Luffy glanced down at Margaret's statue on the floor "then the people you care about get hurt instead…" Nami's eyes widened with realisation. She also glanced down at Margaret with eyes of sadness.

"_Please Snake princess…I know this man means this kingdom no harm, he's not that kind of person"_

Margaret had stuck up for them and now, she was paying the price for kindness. They just couldn't abandon her now.

"…I guess...you're right" Nami said as she nodded to Luffy. The straw-hat captain smiled.

"Aren't I always?" he asked.

"…not really…"

"Meanie…"

"ENOUGH OF THIS FOOLISHNESS" Luffy and Nami snapped out of their discussion to see an infuriated Hancock standing at the top of the platform she had been watching the match from. "Mari! Sonia! YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR FROM THAT MAN! GET RID OF HIM AND HIS WITCH!" Luffy quickly held Nami back as the orange haired woman attempted to charge up the steps towards the conceited princess.

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT A WITCH I CAN BE! LET ME AT HER! I'LL TEAR HER TO PIECES!" she bellowed loudly, struggling against her captain. The large snakes turned to their prey, licking their lips.

"She's right Mari" Sandersonia hissed "There's nothing to fear"

"Without control, king's Haki is little more that added enthusiasm" Marigold agreed.

"But first" Luffy continued, holding a hand out to indicate he wasn't ready yet "I'm gonna have to move her. I don't want her to brake" The snake sisters both looked past Luffy and noticed Margaret on the floor. Sandersonia grinned at this.

"My, you seem to be extremely calm" she commented "You still don't understand this situation. That statue…DOSEN'T MATTER ONE BIT!" At the loud yell, Sandersonia's tail lashed out towards Margaret. Luffy remained still and braced himself. The tail, instead of impacting with its target, hit Luffy in the ribs. The loud 'thunk' of the impact echoed around the stadium.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled from behind him. The ebony haired teen groaned slightly and staggered forwards as Sandersonia's tail slithered back towards its master.

"Why would you defend that statue" Sandersonia asked, quite puzzled "When it means taking an attack for it?" Luffy let out a loud cough and looked upwards at the two serpents.

"She has nothing to do…with the fight DOES SHE?" Luffy exclaimed. The crowd became silent at this outburst. All eyes fell towards the snake empress, who was now extremely frustrated and bored.

"Very well" Hancock yelled, her deep blue eyes looking away from the battlefield. "Allow him to move the statue"

"Big sister…" Sandersonia murmured, turning to the pirate empress. Hancock let an evil smile grace her features.

"We will let that man fight to his hearts content…and then…WE WILL TAKE HIM DOWN WITHOUT MERCY!" Marigold smiled at this and nodded.

"It will be done, big sister…"

Whilst the sister's were talking, Luffy had already begun to move Margaret. Nami approached him and also grabbed hold of the statue, helping Luffy to carry it over to the side of the arena. Once there, Luffy gently lowered Margaret down to the floor with his stretchy arms.

"Sorry about this again" he said sympathetically "Just wait a little longer"

"Once we've beaten these two, we'll find a way to turn you back to normal Margaret" Nami agreed.

"Are you done saying your goodbyes yet?" a voice echoed from behind the two pirates. Luffy and Nami turned around to see Marigold and Sandersonia gearing up for battle.

"Are you prepared for your defeat?" Marigold asked with a grin. Luffy smacked his fist against his other hand.

"I've told you before" Luffy retorted "You're the ones who are going to get beaten up" Nami stared at Luffy as if he had just lost his mind. Had Sandersonia dropping him to the floor before broken something in his mind? She knew Luffy was reckless but at the same time, she knew he had some common sense. After the beating they had just had, Nami doubted that these two COULD be defeated. They needed to plan a method of attack, not just leap into battle without a second thought. Sandersonia was already in stitches over Luffy's defiant yell.

"As insolent as ever" she hissed. Marigold was the first to act. The orange haired viper spat forwards with her usual purple poison. Luffy got ready to dodge the attack when all of a sudden; he was slightly shoved aside as Nami stepped forwards with a thunder ball being swung around on her clima-tact.

"Thunder wall" she shouted and as commanded, the thunder ball formed a circular shield around the top of the weather pole. The poison hit the shield of lightning and almost immediately evaporated. Seeing the lighting getting rid of the poison, Luffy's brain suddenly began to work in overdrive.

He'd done it once before…but how much lightning would be enough?

"Hey Nami" he whispered quietly in his navigator's ear "I need you to make the biggest thunder ball than you can" Nami was unsure of Luffy's request but yet nodded. The lightning shield slowly faded away. Nami gritted her teeth as she focused her efforts on another thunder charge.

"Thunder ball" she said loudly, creating a giant ball of lightning. Marigold growled and spat another poison blob towards the two pirates. Once more the poison fizzled away and evaporated. Luffy, however, wasn't done yet. The raven haired teen rushed around the large thunder ball and began to rush forwards. His right arm stretched back behind him, twisting into a coil as it was flung into the thunder ball. The spark surged through Luffy's body, but the rubber man felt nothing. Marigold looked down at the approaching man and launched another poisonous spit down at Luffy. Before the poison could connect, Luffy flung his right arm forward. The lightning charged fist barrelled forwards, a spark still trailing from Luffy's fist. The surge of electricity smashed the poison into pieces and continued forwards towards Marigold.

"GUM GUM THOR RIFLE*!" Luffy bellowed as his arm un-curled, spinning around with added velocity. The spinning arm impacted into Marigold's stomach, sending a static shock into Marigold's body. The golden viper shrieked with pain at the lightning and stumbled backwards. The crowds of Kuja let out cries of worry and concern. Sandersonia caught her sister as fell and turned to Luffy with a face contorted with rage.

"You foolish monster" she yelled, her tail lashing forwards at the straw-hat captain. Luffy failed to dodge the tail that struck his stomach and flew backwards, choking. Luckily for Luffy, Nami was waiting below him and caught the captain as he fell into her waiting arms. Luffy panted loudly but still beamed.

"Looks like ones down, only one to go"

"…Please…" Luffy paled at the familiar voice "I'm not down yet…" Marigold lurched back upwards. Her pale green eyes seemed more feral than usual as she glared at Luffy. "Lucky hit…but you're already beaten" Luffy was about to reply that he had no idea what she was talking about, when a stream of purple gas began to flood the arena from where Nami's thunder wall had once been. Luffy stumbled out of Nami's grip, coughing loudly. The navigator copied his loud strained wheezes as she choked on the gas. A loud laughter caused her to look up at Marigold, whose loud chortles echoed all around.

"Fools. My poison not only destroys all it touches. It also has fumes that cause your body to shut down" the yellow viper announced happily. Luffy coughed and spluttered, swaying from side to side.

"Looks like the poison is already in effect" Sandersonia commented with a cocky smirk. Her tail lashed forwards hitting Luffy through the smoke. The black haired teen recoiled in pain as the tail hit his chest and proceeded to smack him to the ground. "It won't be long now" Sandersonia cackled.

"CYCLONE TEMPO" Suddenly, a burst of wind shot out from around one of the people in the fog and the gas dispersed, floating over towards the spike pit. Sandersonia and Marigold lurched back in surprise. In the centre of the arena stood Nami, who had just caught the pieces of the clima-tact that had created the gust.

"Nice try but I'm the master of weather" she said slyly, winking at the two serpents. Luffy stood up from the floor and grinned at Nami. As he predicted, Nami was stronger than he had first thought. After all, Nami wasn't just a pretty face…What? Luffy shook his head roughly, snapping away from his odd thoughts.

"Alright" Nami said nodding confidently "Luffy, I have a plan" The straw-hat captain flinched slightly as Nami leaned over and whispered in his ear. After a small break, Luffy smiled.

"That'll work" he whispered back in return. The straw-hat captain then leapt forward and stood there in a battle stance, one leg in front of the other and one fist pointing forwards, the other to the side. Nami grinned as she spun the clima-tact around.

"What are they planning?" Marigold murmured, watching the two with curiosity.

"I don't know" Sandersonia replied "But we better be ready for it…" With Luffy in position, Nami spoke softly the words of her plan.

"Cool charge" she said as the cool ball spun around the tip of her clima-tact. The snake sisters watched the pole with a curious stare. What was this witch doing?

"NOW! MIRAGE TEMPO: FATA MORGANA!" Nami shouted. Launching the cool ball forward, Luffy was engulfed by the cool breeze and disappeared. Suddenly, Luffy reformed once more. Though, this time, there was more than one Luffy. The middle Luffy was the same grinning idiot from before, but the other four weren't. One was Luffy as a child, a freshly made scar against his cheek. Another was a rather overweight Luffy who smiled like a madman. The two other Luffy's were an overly muscular Luffy and an incredibly tall and slim Luffy respectively.

"Oh yeah" the kid Luffy said happily.

"Looks like your seeing double" the tall Luffy mocked.

"Or maybe triple" the fat Luffy exclaimed.

"In fact, wouldn't it be more of seeing…er…what are the four and five ones again?" the muscular Luffy announced.

"And you thought one of me was tough…" the normal Luffy muttered with a grin.

"LET'S SEE HOW YOU DO WITH FIVE!" the group of Luffy's yelled together as they all charged forwards.

"C-clones?" Marigold asked, her eyes wide with awe.

"Don't be fooled Mari!" Sandersonia exclaimed "The weather witch uses mirages, only one of them must be real!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right" Nami admitted, a sly smile slipping onto her face "But the million beri question is…"

"WHICH ONE OF US IS IT?" The Luffy's chorused, launching forward towards the serpents.

"GUM GUM GATLING!" the Luffy's bellowed as their fists flew rapidly forward. The barrage of fists danced around on their path as the two sisters scowled.

"Left…right…the attacks are…coming from everywhere!" Sandersonia panicked

"Don't worry Sonia" Marigold yelled in response. Whilst 4/5 of the fists collided with the snake sisters, the muscular Luffy's fists bounced off of Marigold and he fell backwards, cursing the pain. Marigold grinned.

"The colour of armament Haki is too strong for any illusion to fool" she said with glee.

The mirages slowly faded until only the muscular Luffy remained. The muscles on the mirage then disappeared and the real Luffy stood in the dust. Nami's smile faded as she approached the injured Luffy.

"Sorry Luffy" she said "I just…"

"No, it could work" Nami's eyes widened as Luffy stood up with a smirk "If it broke Tekkai…it can break this" Nami tilted her head slightly in confusion but Luffy smiled at her happily.

"Nami, do that thing again" he instructed. Nami nodded and cast a 'cool charge' as commanded.

"Mirage tempo: fate morgana!" she said softly and once more, five Luffy's stood in the cloud. Predicting the mirage, Luffy got into an odd position with two hands on each of his legs.

"GEAR SECOND!" the five Luffy's shouted. At their yell, the rubber man's legs buckled and shifted like pumps, turning Luffy a light red colour. Once more, Luffy felt his breathing and heartbeat stop for a moment and then pick up again in double time. Steam leaked from all over Luffy's body and billowed upwards in defiance of the mirage cloud.

"Now…" the normal looking Luffy began

"LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN KEEP UP!" the five Luffy's chorused. Suddenly, the five Luffy's all disappeared into five blurs. The blurs dashed around the arena, ricocheting off the walls and bouncing back around the stadium. The crowd were gasping and murmuring about these events whilst the snake sisters attempted to keep track of Luffy.

"So…fast…" Marigold murmured as she clutched her battle staff closer.

"Impossible…" Sandersonia concluded "Even my colour of observation…can't keep up with him…" The five blurs continued to bounce around the arena, waiting for their chance to attack.

"GUM GUM JET…"

"Left" Sandersonia murmured as she saw the fat Luffy stop in the air near her. Her tail quickly rose up and struck the fat Luffy. The fat Luffy groaned for a second and then disappeared. Sandersonia's eyes widened "A…mirage…"

"PISTOL!" A voice bellowed from behind her. All of a sudden, a sharp pain echoed through Sandersonia's back and the serpent screamed with pain. Turning around, she noticed the blur that attacked her had already disappeared.

"RUN RUN RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN" Luffy's taunt rang out through the stadium "YOU CAN'T CATCH ME, I'M A RUBBER MAN!" Sandersonia gritted her teeth with rage. She'd had just about enough of this tenacious rubber man.

"If he won't hold back…" Sandersonia murmured "THEN NEITHER WILL I!"

"SNAKE HAIR POSSESSION: EIGHT BRANCH GIANT SNAKE!" At Sandersonia's words, her hair rose up and twisted around. Her green locks twisted and turned around, forming eight giant green serpents out of her hair. One of the green snakes snarled and launched itself at one of the blurs. In response, the blur quickly dodged the attack and continued hopping around the arena. The hair snake smashed into the ground, breaking the tiles of the arena into pieces. The blurs continued to dash around the arena, dodging all of the hair snakes that tried to attack them.

"Why can't I keep up with him?" Sandersonia thought angrily "I can predict his movements…but he's moving too fast to react to…"

"THUNDER BALL!" Sandersonia jerked away at the sound of the voice, but it was too late. The large ball of lightning hit her right shoulder and let out a shockwave around her body. Nami smirked from her place on the sidelines as Sandersonia gave out a yelp as she fell to the floor. That attack had wounded her…but at least it was over now…

"GUM GUM JET AXE!" Luffy's voice bellowed as a bright red leg struck down onto Sandersonia's stomach. The green viper gritted her teeth as the pain flowed in. These two pirates were becoming more and more of a problem every second. High above her, a child Luffy grinned happily.

"So you're the real one!" Marigold shouted as she appeared beside him. The child Luffy twisted around in the air, stretching his arms backwards as he did so.

"GUM GUM JET…" the child cried as he prepared for another attack. Predicting the blow, Marigold held out her hands in front of her.

"It is useless" she exclaimed "You can not attempt to break through my Haki!"

"BAZOOKA!"

Oh, how wrong she was…

Luffy's arms soared forwards towards Marigold. The force of the attack hit Marigold's palms. A huge blast of wind roared out from the point where Luffy's attack had made contact. The large golden serpent braced herself but no matter how much she tried, the sheer force of the attack pushed her backwards. Marigold tumbled backwards, hitting the steps behind her with a groan. The crowd screamed loudly at this outrage. The child Luffy landed softly on the ground, grinning like an idiot.

"Oi Nami! See how awesome we were!" he shouted. Nami couldn't help but share his smile as she approached. Their hands clapped together in mid-air as the two did a happy hi-five.

"Yeah!" Nami agreed with a wide grin. Luffy laughed at Nami's reaction and sprung to his feet, now no longer a toddler but the average black haired lanky Luffy with a wide grin on his face and steam pouring from his body. Nami never thought she'd be happier to see her captain's goofy beaming face again.

"SONIA! MARI!" The two pirates looked up once again to see Boa Hancock on her pedestal. This time, however, she looked furious. "WHY ARE YOU STILL PLAYING AROUND? GET SERIOUS AND KILL THEM NOW!" The two serpent woman frowned and bowed low on the floor.

"Sorry sister" Sandersonia said

"We shall not fail you again!" Marigold added with despair.

"WHY ARE YOU TREATING YOUR OWN SISTER'S LIKE GARBAGE?" the voice of an angry navigator snapped both Sandersonia and Marigold out of their daze. Hancock was also shocked at the orange haired navigator's bold yell.

"THEY'VE BEEN FIGHTING FOR YOU DOWN HERE AGAINST US WHILST YOU'VE BEEN UP THERE SITTING ON YOUR SPECTATORS SEAT!" Nami continued, blinded by rage. Luffy looked at her with wide eyes. Where had this come from? Nami was never usually this angry? Maybe it had something to do with Robin not being here to help keep her calm.

"IF YOU THINK YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THEM, THEN COME ON DOWN HERE AND PROVE IT!" Nami continued, her eyes narrowing to a glare. Gripping her clima-tact in both hands, Nami swung the pole forwards, launching a small thunder ball in the direction of the snake princess. As the thunder ball flew forwards, it was stopped by Marigold's fist.

"How dare you raise your unworthy weapon against our sister" she bellowed angrily. Sandersonia shared her rage and lashed at Nami with her tail. Just before the tail hit her, Nami was swept off of her feet and carried out of the way of the attack. Opening her eyes, she realised it was Luffy. The raven haired pirate gently placed Nami down on the floor and looked up at the serpents with a growl. Sandersonia and Marigold quickly slithered into position so that they now surrounded the two pirates.

"NOW WE SHALL END THIS!" the two yelled together. Once more, Sandersonia's hair stood up, forming eight identical serpents.

"SNAKE HAIR POSSESSION: EIGHT BRANCH GIANT SNAKE" she commanded and once more the hair snakes hissed at their targets. Marigold licked her lips as she produced a lighter. She then flicked the lighter to create a spark. Marigold allowed the bright and fierce flames to engulf her body.

"SNAKE HAIR POSSESSION: SALAMANDER!" Marigold roared as the flame raged around her. Luffy and Nami's eyes widened.

"What? She's on fire?" the two pirates yelled in surprise. Marigold's hair quickly wrapped around to create hair serpents like her sisters. The two snakes smiled.

"THERE IS NO ESCAPE!" they yelled together as their respective hair attacks began to descend upon Luffy and Nami.

The two pirates immediately reacted.

"Thunder charge!" Nami said as she lifted her clima-tact high above her head. The clima-tact's end began to spark and the electricity spun around like a vortex.

"Gum Gum…" Luffy began, jumping upwards and spinning around so his legs were facing upwards. As he reached a distance over Nami, Luffy stretched his arms downwards. The electricity from Nami's clima-tact made contact with Luffy's legs and a charge of energy flooded through Luffy's body. The flaming hair serpents and the green hair serpents quickly descended down on Luffy.

"JET THOR GATLING*!" Luffy bellowed. His legs suddenly became a blur as they struck upwards towards the lowering hair serpents. The full force of the lightning emerged from Luffy's feet as with each rapid kick, the hair serpents began to break down. The golden and emerald coloured vipers stared in shock as the their hair became limp and lifeless.

"And that's not all!" Luffy added as he stopped firing his barrage of kicks. Stretching his legs in the opposite direction to their two targets, the legs snapped back once more, striking both of the sisters on the base of their tails. The sisters screamed once more in agony as Luffy landed between them. Marigold and Sandersonia fell forwards and the two fell into each other. Marigold's flames began to burn her sister and Sandersonia wailed in pain.

"No Sandersonia!" Marigold shouted with a panicked tone in her voice. Marigold pushed her sister away as the flames spread. Strangely, however, as Sandersonia tumbled backwards, Marigold felt a force pull her towards her sister. Marigold looked around in confusion to see the cause of her dismay.

"Looks like you two are beaten" a voice called. Looking down, Marigold could see the orange haired cat burglar standing beside her tail…which was currently wrapped around Sandersonia's.

"NO!" Marigold shrieked "WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?" Nami grinned happily and turned to see Luffy, who was now no longer in Gear Second, standing nearby with a wide smile.

"Told you we could kick their ass" he said happily. Nami laughed at Luffy's excited grin and offered him a high five. The black haired captain gladly accepted the high five and laughed loudly.

"SISTER SONIA! WATCH OUT!" Marigold suddenly cried out "the trench of spikes! IT'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU! QUICK, GRAB HOLD OF THE RAILING!" Sandersonia did as her sister advised and as she toppled backwards, she reached out and grabbed hold of the railing.

"So close…" the green viper murmured

High above the arena, Hancock was absolutely enraged. These two pests had just defeated her sisters in battle. Not even she had ever been able to best them in a fight and here these two no-name reckless pirates had beaten the most powerful warriors on Amazon Lily. Her pride would never recover from this defeat.

"How…humiliating…" she muttered, grasping her nails into her chair with rage. The snake chair, Salome, did not like this and groaned at the horrible pressure on his scales. The pirate empress ignored her pets cry and instead allowed her rage to boil…then she noticed Sandersonia. Hancock's sapphire eyes widened.

"Her…her back…the mark…is on full display…" she lamented. Hancock closed her eyes in regret, awaiting the shocked cries of the amazons. What would become of her sister? Would the Kuja realise that the curse myth had been a lie? Would Marigold also be banished? Would she? Hancock shuddered at the thought. She couldn't be found out. She was their ruler, their princess. They would hate her and burn her and harm HER. Hancock closed her eyes and braced herself for the sound of realisation from the watching crowd.

"…what's that man doing on Sonia's back?"

"Is he going to kill her?"

"NO SONIA!"

Hancock's eyes flew open and she gasped. The man who they had sentenced to death…mocked and persecuted…was now holding onto Sandersonia, obscuring the mark on her back. Hancock couldn't believe her eyes.

"You monster…" Sandersonia yelled, gazing up at the man clinging to her back.

"Don't move" Luffy whispered to her, but Sandersonia was far to enraged to listen.

"MARI!" she called to her sister "Kill this rotten waste of space and get rid of him!" Marigold, however, did not move. "What are you doing just standing there?" Sandersonia yelled once more.

"I…can't…" Marigold replied to Sandersonia's shock "because….right now…"

"That man is saving us…"

The angry crowd suddenly calmed down for a moment as they looked at where Luffy was.

"Sandersonia's back…is exposed…" one of the Kuja muttered with surprise.

"The gorgon's eye is being obscured by that man…"

"IF WE SEE IT, WE'LL ALL BE TURNED TO STONE!" Sandersonia's angry scowl suddenly became a questioning frown as she looked up at Luffy.

"Why…" she questioned quietly, tears beginning to well up in her eyes

"You said before right?" Luffy asked in return. Sandersonia felt her face turn pale as she remembered what she had said moments before

"_Because…you saw one of our marks and we would rather die than let anyone see that mark on our backs"_

"Just because you want to kill me…" Luffy continued a small smile appearing on his face "Doesn't mean that I want to kill you…so stay still, okay?" Sandersonia allowed a small number of tears to leak from her eyes and she looked away from Luffy, ashamed.

"…Th…thank you…" she muttered, keeping her head facing the spikes below her.

"THE SHOW IS OVER!" a booming voice echoed out over the arena "BEFORE THE GORGON EYE IS EXPOSED, CLEAR OUT THE ARENA!" The quick pitter-patter of feet sounded above Luffy and he looked up to see the stands almost empty of people, with the remaining Kuja dashing for the exits. One woman stood out of the crowd, however, and looked at Luffy. Hey black hair was held back in a ponytail and her eyes were focused on the rubber man. Was…was she smiling?

"Thank you man…" Luffy heard over the crowd as Kikyou disappeared into the exit tunnel. Soon, the stands were empty of everyone. Sandersonia tensed as she felt Luffy's weight move from her back.

"Alright" he said quietly "they're gone now…you can stand up again…" Sandersonia didn't. She was just frozen in place. This man confused her and now, she felt that she could no longer move. Nami watched her captain leap off of Sandersonia's back and land next to her.

"Looks like we've won" he said to her happily. Nami, however, was confused. Luffy had just defended his enemy? These people were trying to kill him, yet he protected them? Nami just wanted to scream with frustration. Her captain was so confusing sometimes…but…how come she was smiling? It was all Nami could think to do. She just smiled at him.

Elder Nyon stepped forward from her place at the top of one of the stands and looked down at Hancock's podium. The snake princess was panting like crazy. This man…she didn't understand this man…Hancock allowed herself to fall backwards onto Salome with a sad whimper. She covered her eyes and sat there, motionless except for the occasional drops of water than descended from her face. Nyon shook her head.

"Though you may fool this kyingdom, you can't keep decyeiving yourself forever…snake princess" she said softly "for what you sisters have on your back…" Nyon's voice faltered and she stared over at Hancock with pity. Hancock did not move from her location for quite some time.

She needed time to think…

* * *

_**To be continued in Chapter 7: Before Dawn**_

_As Luffy and Nami emerge victorious from their battle, the truth of the Snake sister's curse comes to the forefront. With new ideas and feelings entering Hancock's head, the Snake Princess thinks back to her past. What does the mark on her back truly mean? How did she escape her horrible past? And, most importantly, where do Luffy and Nami go from here?_

_**New attacks introduced:**_

_-Thunder Wall: _A defensive technique devolved by Nami's clima-tact, using a 'Thunder charge' to create a shield out of lightning

-_Gum Gum Thor Rifle: _An attack combining Luffy's 'Gum Gum Rifle' and his tolerance to electricity with Nami's 'Thunder Ball'

-_Gum Gum Jet Thor Gatling: _An attack combing Luffy's 'Gum Gum Jet Gatling' and his tolerance to electricity with Nami's 'Thunder Charge'

_**And if you've actually managed to follow all of that…here's a little 'after the credits' trailer for you…**_

* * *

The orange sky was slowly fading into night. The cobbled white streets of Weatheria were now a darker grey colour due to the falling sun. As the great shining light fell, a silhouette marched across the horizon. The silhouette turned out to be that of an old man with a long white beard and a blue robe. The man calmly walked along the street humming a tune. So far his day had been good. He had enjoyed his lunch at the café and had even managed to sell rain 'magic' to some locals in a desert. The man chortled happily as he walked along until suddenly, his pace slowed to a stop. Standing in front of him was a large man. The man had to be well over 7ft tall and was as wide as a tree trunk. He wore a long black cloak patterned with a white circle with lines travelling off it. The old man shivered slightly as an unwelcome sensation travelled up his spine.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey" the old man greeted as the large stranger turned to him. "Nice to meet you my friend, I don't believe we've met" The large man turned to him, his eyes hidden under a sack like hat decorated in paw prints.

"No, we have not" the stranger murmured in a monotone voice "But I need your assistance" The old man cocked an eyebrow at this but the stranger continued "Have you ever been to the calm belt?" The old man's head shook with sadness.

"Alas, this island can only travel where the wind is so I have never been there" he mournfully said.

"What if I could send you there?" the old man's eyes widened.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey…you could do that?" The giant nodded and formed a small paw shaped bubble in his hands.

"I will send you there…but in return, you must promise to help a friend of mine…" he said. The old man nodded happily smiling at the stranger.

" I promise, I have wanted to traverse the calm belt for so long, I will do anything" the stranger smiled at his honesty.

"Good…then we may begin" the giant murmured as he tossed his paw shaped bubble towards the ground. The moment the bubble made contact, it faded into the ground. The old man stumbled slightly as the earth rumbled beneath him.

"Find the one known as the weather witch" the stranger explained, turning around and walking away. The old man reached out his hand to say more, but the stranger had already disappeared.

"At the time when you wish to leave the calm-belt, I shall return to aid you" the stranger's voice echoed on the wind. The old man stood there for a moment, slightly confused but then smiled.

"The wind is with us" he commented, feeling the breeze suddenly change direction towards the north…

"It is done Master Dragon…"

"Excellent, step one is complete…soon, this world will be free…"

"I am only sorry I shall not be there to witness it…

"I shall always remember you…Kuma, my old friend"

"Goodbye…but not farewell…Dragon…"

_**Until then I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.**_

_**Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.**_


	7. Chapter 7

…_**I remember when a long time ago when I didn't actually write fan-fiction, I used to read an epic and awesome story called 'The Will of D' by 'The Animaniac Dude' (if you have never read it, I #1: Extremely recommend it and #2: Pity you deeply because that is how awesome that story is) I loved it but one of my major problems with the story was that it took at least a few weeks for each update and (being the fan-fiction addict I am) I always wanted more. In fact, when people started liking Search The Wind, I promised myself that I would never ever keep my audience in tortured suspense like that…**_

_**Unfortunately, I failed horribly at that goal and so now, about one month, since the last chapter, I return once more with the next chapter of Search the Wind. I hope it's worth the wait for you guys.**_

__

**So with that said…written…typed, I hope you enjoy and review the latest chapter of Search the Wind**

* * *

_**Chapter 7: Before dawn**_

"We're so sorry, big sister"

"Not only did we lose, but our enemy ending up saving us"

Hancock was silent as her sisters continued to wail apologies at her. Her confusion and anger was clouding her mind. Slowly, she raised her head and gazed over at the people standing behind her sisters. One of these people was a young woman with bright orange hair. Her chocolate eyes were currently staring at a stone statue that the other figure was inspecting. A black haired young man, wearing a light blue shirt with an odd collection of frills on it, was currently tapping the statue and poking it with interest. Hancock felt something odd in her stomach move as the man stood up and smiled at his companion.

"She's okay" Luffy said happily. Nami smiled in return and followed her captain to his feet. Suddenly realising he was being watched, Luffy turned to see Hancock watching him.

"You wanna fight next?" he asked calmly, disregarding Nami's jaw dropping. The snake princess's eye twitched and she felt a scowl come to her lips.

"Idiot!" a yell echoed through the arena "Don't go picking fights with random people!"

"Weren't you trying to pick a fight with her during the last fight?" another shout retorted.

"That…is enough"

At the sound of Hancock's voice, Luffy and Nami stopped their squabbling and turned to see the princess glaring at them.

"I have no intention of fighting you" she said in a bitter tone. A smile graced Luffy's lips.

"Then you're gonna fix her right?" he asked. Hancock's eyes widened at Luffy's request. Marigold and Sandersonia both gasped and turned to look at the man, who had just commanded something of their sister.

"What…did you say?" Hancock murmured, her dying anger rising like an exploding volcano.

"You can do that right?" Luffy yelled up to Hancock, almost surprising Nami with his loud voice.

"Luffy…I wouldn't try that…" The navigator whispered, watching Hancock intently. She trusted this woman about as far as she could throw her…which could be quite far, however, if she used her cyclone tempo, she could have dropped the snake into the ocean...

Luffy, however, ignored his navigator's instinct.

"They were only trying to help me! Please, turn them back to normal!" he yelled. Hancock clenched her fist. How…how dare he…how dare this man do that to her…how dare he command her…Slowly, a small smile appeared on Hancock's face. Yes. She would show him.

"I do indeed know how to turn those three back to their old selves" the snake princess began "However, you said that there was a place you wanted to sail to, did you not?" Luffy's smile widened.

"Yeah, our friends are scattered and we need to regroup" Luffy shouted with joy, pointing between himself and Nami when gesturing to 'we' and 'our'. Hancock felt her grin widen to an almost sickeningly large size.

"Is that so?" she asked in a smooth voice "I'm afraid that I will only do…one of the things you have asked for" Luffy and Nami let out a small surprised gasp "Do you choose to have these three statues turned back to normal…or do you choose to leave this island in peace? Choose one of these goals and abandon the other" Nami groaned quietly at the dilemma. They could escape if they wanted, leave this strange island far behind…but at what cost? Margaret and the others would be left to rot and might suffer a fate far worse than what she could ever have guessed. They could be frozen like that for years or crushed into pieces by these diabolic snake sisters. Nami had to admit that they needed to regroup with the others…but were they willing to sacrifice an innocent person to do it?

"Can't we make a deal or something?" Nami yelled up to the snake princess. Hancock glared at the speaking navigator and Nami fell silent.

"Sometimes you don't always get what you want…" she murmured "and I believe I asked the male for his choice, not YOU for yours" Nami shivered under the woman's glare and Hancock returned her gaze to Luffy. The black haired young man had dropped to the floor and was smiling widely.

"Really? Thanks! Then, you're gonna save them right?" he yelled happily, dropping his head so he was bowing on the floor "Thank you so much!" Hancock was stunned. She couldn't believe her ears. Marigold and Sandersonia had frozen as well. Nami remained still for a moment, until Luffy grabbed her arm and pulled her down into a kneeling position.

"Come on Nami, be polite" he murmured, bowing his head once more. Nami was shocked to the point that she almost didn't manage to reply.

"You…I...are…how…where did you learn how to be so polite?" she eventually whispered in reply. Luffy looked over at her with a smile.

"Vivi taught me whilst you were sick. She said that sometimes, words hit people harder than fists" he explained. Vivi. Of course. Nami nodded and, reluctantly, dropped her head in a bow. She could hear the approaching footsteps of high heeled shoes. Nami could feel extremely nervous as the sounds grew louder. She could feel the sweat on the back of her neck. For a moment, the footsteps stopped in front of her. She was sure Hancock's eyes were currently staring into the back of her neck. A burning feeling was flowing down her spine. Eventually, the burning feeling stopped. Nami hesitated for a moment before glancing upwards. Luffy was smiling at the Snake Princess as she passed.

"This is an odd turn of events…" she muttered under her breath.

"But still, who would have thought that a man would actually defeat the sisters?"

"It is a surprise…"

"Yes, but still, that man was so insolent"

Kikyou was silent through out the discussion. She could feel her anger slowly rising as she clenched her fists. Why were these women being so insulting to the man who had protected her friends? If anything, the sisters had appeared more in the wrong to Kikyou. They were attacking someone who could not fight back. Had all of the Kuja not been told that that was dishonourable since childhood?

"Kikyou, you seem troubled" Kikyou jumped at the new voice and turned to see Belladonna smiling at her kindly.

"I'm fine" Kikyou grunted and turned back around so that she was facing the door to the arena. She was feeling so nervous it almost made her sick. What would become of her fellow warriors?

"Don't worry Kikyou, I'm sure the snake princess will let Margaret and the others go free" Belladonna attempted to console her.

"Shows what you know" Kikyou and Belladonna both turned around to see Daisy laughing in her strange tone. The orange haired woman flicked her hair to the side and laughed once more.

"The snake princess will never forgive such insolence and treachery from those fools" she continued.

"Shut up" Kikyou snapped, offering Daisy her angriest glare. Daisy appeared to be quite shocked at Kikyou's aggression. Luckily, Ran managed to step in front of her and cause Kikyou to back down.

"Unfortunately, I believe that Daisy is correct. Our princess is fair but also ruthless" Kikyou quietly groaned and hung her head. She would probably never see her comrades again. Suddenly, a loud creaking noise alerted the Kuja to the arena gate opening. Just as soon as Kikyou's sad thought had arrived, it immediately disappeared. Standing in the gateway was none other than Margaret, Sweet Pea and Aphelandra. The group looked quite shaken but they were well and truly alive.

"Margaret! Sweet Pea! Aphelandra!" Kikyou called happily. The other Kuja members cheered happily as the trio approached them.

"What are you all doing here?" Margaret asked as she stepped closer, however, her question was almost ignored and unheard as the crowd of women ran towards the three, happily shouting "YOU'RE NOT MADE OF STONE ANYMORE!" Nerine grabbed hold of Margaret's hands and shook them whilst smiling.

"We were all worried about you! What with you suddenly protecting that man and all…" Nerine explained.

"Indeed" Kikyou added, her normal calm demeanour returning now that her allies were safe "We were wondering what would happen to you" Margaret, however, was quite confused.

"Statue?" she asked. Aphelandra shrugged.

"What happened?" the tall woman asked as she looked over to Sweet Pea.

"The saga of 'I have no idea' Sweet Pea replied.

"You mean you don't remember?" Kikyou asked. Margaret shook her head.

"No, when we came to our senses, the first thing we saw was the man and Nami smiling at us" she explained as the memory of her awakening returned to her…

"_Man, what a relief!" a loud voice yelled with joy._

"_Luffy, give her some space" another voice called._

_Margaret's eyes slowly opened to see both Luffy and Nami beaming at them._

"_They're back to normal" Nami exclaimed happily._

"_I was afraid that you might have died!" Luffy announced, wiping the sweat from his brow "But it's good to see you're still alive"_

_Margaret glanced around almost mesmerised by the large and empty arena around her._

"_There's nobody here?" Aphelandra's voice called from behind her. Margaret turned around to see Aphelandra and Sweet Pea both glancing around in the same bewildered fashion as she was._

"_The saga of 'is it already over?'" Sweet Pea asked, astounded by the gigantic stadium which was now as silent as a grave. Luffy chuckled and turned around to look at a retreating white cape worn by a woman with long black hair._

"_Hey you, thanks" Luffy called after her. The woman who had been so disrespectfully referred to as 'you' shuddered at the man's gratitude but did not reply. Suddenly, Margaret realised that the woman was none other than Boa Hancock, the snake princess. Sweet Pea and Aphelandra came to a similar assumption and quickly ran forwards after Margaret._

"_Snake princess!" Margaret yelled as she dropped onto her knees in a low bow. The other two amazons dropped to their knees in a similar fashion and both began to stutter, unsure of what to say. Luckily, before anyone could speak, Hancock had turned slightly around to look at the three from the corner of her eye._

"_Please…continue to protect our island and its people" she said softly before continuing towards her throne. Marigold and Sandersonia smiled at them and then turned around to face their sister once more…_

"And that's what happened" Margaret finished. Nerine nodded, smiling happily.

"Thank god" she exclaimed.

"It appears the petrifaction caused some amnesia if that's all you can remember, but don't worry; I'll fill you in on the blanks later" Ran added happily.

"Margaret" a woman with black hair held up in a bun called from within the crowd "What about the man?" Ran and Daisy both nodded.

"Yes Rindo has a point; did the princess turn him and his witch to stone?" Daisy questioned. Margaret put her hand to her chin and hummed for a moment in thought.

"No, she didn't do that…I think she invited the man and Nami to the palace…" Margaret concluded.

There was silence…

"WWWHHHAAATTT?"

There had been many incredibly awkward meetings throughout history. Nami was sure this wasn't the most awkward meeting in history but it was definitely up there. Here she was sitting cross legged on the floor next to Luffy, whilst the two giant snake sisters, who she and her captain were fighting a few moments ago, were sitting beside them, Sandersonia to Nami's left and Marigold to Luffy's right. The four were sitting in almost complete silence. Nami was obviously the most nervous in the room. Was this how she had once been around Robin? Marigold and Sandersonia were their enemies, yet strangely, now they were supposed to be friend's just moments after she and Luffy had almost been killed. How had they suddenly gained the gratitude of these sisters? Nami hated to admit, but the most obvious answer was sitting next to her, picking his nose. She had never realised it before but now it dawned on her that Luffy was a person with an incredibly lucky skill. He seemed to draw others to him and with his boundless optimism; he had made more than a few friends out of his enemies on multiple occasions and now, he had swayed the heart of the green and orange haired sisters sitting beside them.

"So, what are we doing now? Is this some after the battle feast?" Nami looked over at her captain, who was shuffling around on the floor, trying to get into a more comfortable position. Luffy grinned happily, his lips growing wet with the thought of food.

"In that case, I'll definitely join you in your celebration" the raven haired boy chuckled, suddenly launching into an excited frenzy of asking questions.

"What's the speciality here? Is it a type of meat? I BET IT'S GONNA BE TASTY!" Luffy's rambling of food was interrupted when Nami banged him on the head angrily.

"Luffy! You're drooling all over the carpet! Can't you try to be sophisticated?" she yelled.

"Sophista-ma whata?" Luffy replied. Nami sighed loudly and shook her head. Sandersonia and Marigold laughed at this, causing Nami to look up at them with surprise.

"You two are quite strange, aren't you?" Sandersonia said with a smile.

"Please, he's the only strange person here" Nami responded with a glare towards her goofy grinning captain.

"Do not take it as an insult" Marigold reassured the navigator with a smile "It is just that we've never seen a person so kind and so…unrefined" Luffy's nose picking stopped at this moment and he turned to Marigold with a perplexed expression on his face.

"Unrefined?" he asked in confusion. Before Marigold could respond with an explanation, Nami interrupted with a question of her own.

"So…what happens now?" she said quietly. Sandersonia shrugged.

"Well one thing's for sure, we wish to show you our gratitude for your kindness"

"You don't have to. I can't eat gratitude or…" Luffy was once more cut off by Nami punching his arm with another sigh.

"We're glad nothing happened to you…but I and Luffy need to get moving. We have to find a way to reunite with our ship-mates" Nami reasoned. This response caused both of the sister's to burst into uncontrolled laughter.

"You really don't understand what you did, do you?" Marigold asked, her smile almost as wide as Luffy's "If anyone saw the mark on our back, we would no longer be able to stay in this country. There is no where else we could go that would accept us. It is why your kindness has affected us so much. We are extremely grateful to you, Man" Marigold lowered her head into a bow but Luffy seemed to dismiss this with a shake of his hands and head.

"Come on, don't be silly. That mark on your back had nothing to do with our fight" he argued "And one little rash can't be so bad…" Sandersonia shook slightly but was silent. Marigold also fell quiet. Her smile now looked quite strained.

"Perhaps it is better to show you…" a voice called. Luffy and Nami both blinked and realised that the sound had come from behind a pink curtain "Come on man, I don't have time to waste on this" Hancock said once more, groaning impatiently. Luffy hesitated for a moment and turned to his navigator, as if he were asking permission to stand. Nami was surprised by this but still shrugged. The raven haired teen stood up slowly and, after a small pause, stepped towards the curtain.

"You mean…you want me to open this thing?" Luffy asked nervously. Hancock's frustrated yell of "YES" shocked Luffy so much, he quickly opened the pink drapes in order to make amends. The sight that caught his eye was an odd one. Nami instinctively blushed and gawped as Luffy continued to watch the woman sitting before him with a dumbfounded expression on his face. The straw-hat captain may have not been the smartest guy in the world, but even he could tell that there was something wrong… something odd…

Something…missing…

"Hey, why are you naked?" Luffy finally asked. Hancock ignored Nami's absolutely shocked face and growled.

"You are still as impudent as ever" the snake princess muttered angrily. Sandersonia and Marigold also stared in confusion at their sister. Her eyes were oddly disappointed and her lips seemed to twitch, as if unsure whether to smile or to frown. Nami couldn't believe what was happening. She was almost so angry she could have stood up and socked the snake woman right in the face. Why was she naked in front of her captain…the captain…not her captain. Nami cursed her slip once more as a small blush flooded her cheeks. She knew she had to be on her best behaviour right now to stay in this woman's good books…but it still made her mad with the snake woman.

"No matter…" Hancock muttered, reaching behind her back and grabbing her long dark hair. Nami's open mouth remained ajar for a few seconds before she closed her mouth with a small frown on her face. Hancock's arm shuddered and her lips quivered. The orange haired woman felt an odd twinge of sadness. What had possibly happened to this blessed snake princess that could actually make the woman quiver with fear? Salome twisted around with his usual odd smiling face to show Hancock's back, which was covered by her long black hair. Hancock shuddered once more.

"You…you said…you said that you'd seen this mark before…right?" she asked nervously "P-please t-take another look to be sure…" Luffy edged slightly further and focused closely on the hidden back of the woman in front of him. Nami was tempted to move forward to get a closer look but restrained her curiosity and sat back quietly waiting for the mark to be revealed. Slowly, with shaking fingers, Hancock pulled the hair away from her back to reveal the dark red mark burned into her skin. At the sight of the mark, Nami had to hold back a gasp. The symbol appeared to be burned straight into Hancock's pale complexion. Nami admitted she didn't really like the snake princess, due to her first impression of her but even she could see how painful this mark must have been to put onto her skin. The design of the symbol was unfamiliar to both navigator and captain alike. It was in the shape of a circle with three triangles pointing upwards at the top of the circle, gesturing towards Hancock's head and shoulder blades, whilst another triangle pointed towards the base of Hancock's spine at the bottom of the circle. Luffy was silent for a while, before Hancock spoke up.

"Do you know what this symbol means?" she asked. Luffy didn't reply and continued to stare at the odd mark. Something about it seemed familiar but Luffy just couldn't put his finger on what it was…The points of the triangles…Why were they so familiar to him?

"Answer quickly!" Hancock yelled loudly, causing Luffy to flinch "It's…not something I like to have on display for very long…" Luffy nodded respectfully and looked once more at the shape. How could one little mark bring so much sorrow and pain?...pain…pain?...

"_Hey, when'd you get that injury? Did it hurt?" Hatchan looked over at Luffy and noticed the straw-hat captain pointing at his head._

"_Oh this?" he asked, pointing to the bandages wrapped around his sunny tattoo "It's nothing you need to worry about"_

Luffy's face suddenly dawned in realisation.

"Oh" he muttered. Hancock dropped her hair and looked at Luffy with a glare.

"Oh what?" she asked bitterly. Luffy shook his head.

"It's not the same one I was thinking of" he revealed, turning to Nami "Hey Nami, didn't Hachi have a symbol on his forehead like that?" Nami thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Yeah…I see the similarities…in fact, I think all the fish-men I've ever met have had that sun mark" she announced. Hancock's brow and intrigue rose and she turned to face the navigator.

"A fish-man?" she asked in a demanding tone. She wanted to know more about this navigator and her experience with the sea creatures. However, before Nami could continue, a voice spoke up from behind her.

"If he does nyot though, then we should tell him" Nami, Sandersonia and Marigold turned around to see a small woman standing behind them.

"ELDER NYON?" The snake sisters chorused. Hancock glared at the wrinkled woman in complete rage.

"AGAIN YOU DARE TO SHOW YOUR FACE HERE!" the snake princess yelled. Nyon's face remained solemn and her voice did not falter despite Hancock's furious attitude.

"Be honest, Snake princess!" the old woman remarked with determination "You have already seen what a byig heart this man has!" Hancock's eyes softened and her bottom lip quivered.

"It is alright my child. Both of these two need to know the truth behind that seal that has put them in so much trouble" Nyon reasoned, glancing down at Nami, who was now looking up at Nyon with a confused expression. Was that the old woman from before? The one who she had defended from that Hancock before? Nyon took this opportunity to stroll forwards so she could look both Luffy and Nami in the eyes.

"You two, I am nyot mistaken in assuming that you are the pirates 'Straw-hat' Luffy and 'Cat Burglar' Nami? Am I?" The two pirates nodded.

"Yeah that's us" Nami replied.

"How'd you know who we were?" Luffy asked. Nyon chuckled in response.

"You've caused such an uproar, anyone would knyow" she stated as she took a seat beside Nami. The old woman pulled out a small sheet of paper and handed it to the orange haired navigator.

"Please read this my dear" Nyon requested. Nami nodded and opened the newspaper.

Scanning around the front page of the newspaper, Nami's eyes widened at what was on the front page. Hesitantly, she began to read out loud.

"_Terror on Sabaody Archipelago! Pirate Straw-hat Luffy attacks World Noble"_ Nami was silent before continuing to read the article.

"_Yesterday, a peaceful afternoon at Sabaody Archipelago was turned into a horrible nightmare for all. At approximately half past two, Saint Charloss entered a 'retailers' to purchase some useful items when he was unjustly and unfairly assaulted by one Monkey D. Luffy. The vile criminal, known better as Straw-hat Luffy (the man wanted for 300,000,000 Beri by the world government), savagely attacked both the innocent Saint Charloss and Charloss' gallant father, Saint Roswald, after the latter tried to defend his son from the monstrous pirate. Due to this disgraceful sin, the wise and beautiful Saint Shaluila called for assistance. Therefore, the marines arrived on the island, led by the valiant Admiral Kizaru, to suppress the pirate resistance. Read more on page 7" _Nami finished and looked up at the others. Sandersonia and Marigold shared the same surprised expression and stared at the raven haired boy. Luffy was lazily picking his nose and staring into space uncaringly. Hancock was watching him with a new red tint to her cheeks. This man had struck a celestial dragon? The snake princess' heart was suddenly beating quite quickly.

"And myiraculously, in two day's time, he has escaped some of the most dangerous marines that central has to offer and managed to land on our dyistant island with his nyavigator" Nyon announced. Luffy sprung from his seat and looked towards Nyon.

"Yeah, it's like I said before. We were fighting this paw-paw guy and then he just sent us flying somehow" he explained. Seeing the cynical way in which the others were looking at her captain with, Nami stood to her feet.

"No, he's telling the truth. We were fighting Bartholomew Kuma and he used his devil fruit power to send us here" Nami said. Immediately, Hancock nodded her head in understanding. She had only met the large warlord once before and even then, she had been aware of his power through the man's fierce reputation as the 'Tyrant Kuma'.

"So…you attacked a Celestial Dragon?" the snake princess hazarded to ask.

Luffy nodded his head rigorously and scowled.

"I don't regret it either…though I only hit one of them in the face cause he was being a jerk. I think Usopp is the one who landed on the other one" Hancock was still silent. Her eyes were locked onto Luffy and her mouth was gaping open. This man had actually hit a celestial dragon? Hancock wouldn't have believed it in any other circumstances but strangely, everything made sense now.

"So…" Hancock mumbled quietly, attracting the attention of everyone in the room "another fool like him…still exists in this world…" the soft sound of a drop of a tear hitting the ground echoed throughout the room. Everyone in the room felt their eyes widen as the empress let out a small sniffle. Hancock quickly shielded her now watering eyes with her arms and continued to silently weep.

"Someone who will defy the heavens with no regard to his own life…just like he did" she continued to murmur, wiping the tears from her face. Luffy's eye brow rose, as did Nami's.

"He?" Luffy asked cautiously. For a moment, all was silent. Nyon continued to rest on the floor, a curious expression on her face. Sandersonia and Marigold were looking away at the floor, shuddering. Nami was now standing around looking completely confused at the snake princess' sudden attitude change. Luffy was still in his spot near Nami, watching the pirate empress and waiting for her to respond. Eventually, Hancock sighed and began to speak.

"I shall tell you the truth" She announced, reaching behind and grabbing hold of her long raven locks. Slowly, she moved her hair away from the symbol on her back and shuddered as a cold chill ran up her spine.

"This symbol you see…is the hoof of the soaring dragon. It is the crest of the world nobles…" Hancock announced with a sad frown "It is burned onto the flesh of those brought to the world nobles. It is a symbol that will never disappear, forever marking the bearer as less than human" Hancock faltered for a moment, covering her mouth with her hand to keep in the sad sob. Salome sympathetically draped a red cloak around his princess' shoulders and hissed sadly. Hancock once more faltered then began to speak once more.

"We three sisters were once…slaves to the world nobles…" Luffy and Nami's eyes widened.

"Slaves?" the two asked in shock. Hancock nodded and sighed with a sad frown.

"It happened when we were twelve years old…"

"We were abducted from a ship that was returning home to our land. We had only just been made Kuja pirates a year ago and we were on watch. Unfortunately, no amount of reputation can defend you from a surprise attack. Our ship was ambushed by some fish-men and we were abducted. They sold us to a group of slave traders, who sold us to the world nobles. Everything after that…is something I don't wish to remember…"

Hancock winced slightly and paused for a moment as a memory popped into her head.

"_We are Kuja pirates! You have not right to treat us this way" She had yelled angrily. In response, her master had laughed._

"_Correction, you were Kuja pirates but now, my dear, you are nothing more than cattle and, as I'm sure you know…cattle…" The man paused for a second as the sound of sizzling echoed through the room._

"_Needs to be branded" The fat man then turned to her, grinning like a maniac. In his hand was a boiling branding iron. On the front of the iron was the logo that Hancock had become accustomed to. The hoof of the celestial dragon._

"_Hold her" The man mumbled. In response, Hancock felt a large variety of unseen hands drag her forwards. She was roughly placed in front of the noble. Hancock struggled against the men's grip but they held her firmly._

"_She'll be a great example to other rebellious slaves" the fat noble muttered as he stepped forwards. Another pair of hands shot out from the darkness and gripped a hold of Hancock's shirt. She flinched as a ripping sound pierced the air and a cold chill spread across her back._

"_Feel the might of the heavens!" the noble shrieked as the iron came down on Hancock like a hammer. Her voice had screamed louder than she had ever thought possible…_

Hancock shook her head roughly, snapping out of her day dream.

"The first men I ever saw…were a crowd of monsters" she began once more, however, she was interrupted by Sandersonia, who screamed loudly, clutching her head. Nyon quickly stood up and approached Sandersonia, placing her arms around the crying woman.

"It's alright" the old woman soothed "Everything's alright" Sandersonia's wails slowly turned into whimpers due to the old woman's support. Luffy turned to Hancock with a shocked expression.

"If it's that bad, you don't have to tell me the details" Luffy explained with a wave of his hands. For once, Nami nodded and looked at Hancock sadly.

"Yeah. We don't want to impose…after all…I know what it's like to be a slave…" the orange haired navigator. Hancock's eyes widened at this and she looked up at Nami with confusion. Nami gave the empress a sad smile.

"Well…I was forced into a fish-man's crew to save my village…"

"Okay both of you stop it" Luffy yelled angrily, causing Hancock and Nami to look up in surprise "I don't like seeing people sad…besides, the past doesn't matter. I don't care who you were….all that matters is who you ARE right now, right?" For a moment, the room was silent. All of the women in the room were watching Luffy with a confused expression. The straw-hat captain seemed to have completely ignored his own profound speech and was currently digging into his nose once more, searching the caverns in his nostrils intently. Hancock couldn't help but smile. How was this man who was so simple say something so profound?

"Well…luckily, our suffering didn't go on for as long as other slaves" Hancock started again, looking away from the raven haired man "You see, four years later, an incident happened that shook the world government to the very core…"

"You see, nobody had ever dared to stand against the world nobles...that was until one day, when a man dared to climb the Red Line with his bare hands and snuck into the holy land of Mariejois, the home of the celestial dragons. He was an adventurer who would one day come to command an entire crew of fish-man pirates…Fisher Tiger. He entered the city responsible for so much cruelty towards his fellow fish-men and razed it to the ground in order to free the fish-man slaves. It was in his nature to hate humans…yet he indiscriminately freed slaves, regardless of species"

"A fish-man who hates humans…what a surprise" Nami thought bitterly, clenching her fists tightly.

"We fled as fast as we could without looking back." Hancock continued "I can not express how indebted I am to Tiger. He allowed a lot of fish-men to escape to the sea, though despite how kind his action had been, he was not a magician. The slave markings that had branded them as property of the world nobles would never fade. Having made an enemy of the world government, Tiger formed the sun pirates with those fish-men. Using a similar method to the world nobles, he covered up the hoof of the celestial dragon with a power higher than that of the clouds. He gave them the symbol of the sun to cover up the mark. The mark you said you saw on the fish-man most likely is the symbol of that fish-man pirate crew"

"So…does that mean Hatchi was a slave once then?" Luffy asked in response. Hancock shook her head.

"The mark was given to everyone on that crew so whilst I can not be sure if your friend was once a slave, I am sure he was once a member of the Sunny Pirates" the empress replied. Slowly, Hancock looked up at the two pirates who stood before her. Luffy's face now bore a look of understanding but it was Nami's expression that troubled her the most. It was one of confusion, possibly even fear. Hesitantly, Nami looked up at Hancock, shaking slightly.

"D-did all of the slaves have marks on their backs?" she asked. Hancock nodded.

"It was how the world nobles branded everyone. Some fish-men slaves, however, got a second sunny mark on other parts of their body, most likely as a way of showing respect to Tiger" At the answer, Nami shuddered. Suddenly, something that had confused her for so long actually made sense.

_She'd had to work up the courage to ask but now, she was certain she could do it. Slowly, the curious 11 year old stepped towards the hulking frame of her oppressor. At the sound of her movements, the man looked around._

"_Ah, Nami!" he called in a deep voice "Have you finished your maps for this month?" Nami nodded and the fish-man's shark-like smile once more emerged._

"_Then pull up a seat. The rest of the crew are having a party in the middle of Gosa" Nami flinched at the words, but the large blue man noticed her fear and laughed_

"_Don't worry; I've instructed that if any of them harm a member of that town, then I will have no choice but to punish them severely…after all, wouldn't want to lose our walking money bags would we?" Nami resisted the urge to growl and instead, sat next to the large man in front of her._

"_Thank you…Arlong…" she muttered, as if the words tasted vulgar. The large fish-man smiled._

"_Of course Nami. I always look after my crewmate's interests" Oh, how she wanted to punch him in his cocky face and break that long jagged nose of his for calling her a crewmate. Nami sighed. It was either now or never._

"_Arlong" she said in an emotionless tone "What does that sun on your chest symbolise?" Nami instantly regretted asking the question as she saw Arlong tense up. He was silent for a moment before he spoke once more._

"_So, you've definitely finished the maps for this month?" he asked. Nami nodded "Then it's time I gave you a little present right?" With that, Arlong stood up and made his way towards the building behind him. He stopped for a brief moment and gestured to Nami to follow. Reluctantly, she did and the two entered Arlong Park. Once inside, Arlong pointed towards a chair. Understanding Arlong's request, Nami sat down on the chair and looked up at Arlong. The fish-man sighed and turned around to face the wall._

"_Remember…this will be the only time that you will probably ever see what I'm about to show you" Arlong muttered as he carefully lowered the shirt on his back to reveal a red sun emblazed on his back. Nami looked at the red mark and shuddered slightly._

"_What does it mean?" she asked softly. Arlong didn't say anything. Instead, he merely sat down in a space opposite to Nami._

"_You know that tattoo on your arm" Arlong muttered angrily "It burns right?" Nami's eyes widened and she fell silent. She did reply eventually as she nodded sadly. Arlong pointed to his back in response._

"_This burned too…but now it's a good kind of burn…" the fish-man explained with a new smile. Once more, there was silence in the room as Nami and Arlong stared at each other in an extremely intent gaze. Nami was really only watching Arlong because she was in complete and utter surprise. She'd never seen Arlong so venerable. Suddenly, however, the incredibly small twinge of sympathy that Nami had felt for Arlong immediately disappeared when the fish-man stood up and gripped her shoulders, causing Nami to wince in pain at his tight grip._

"_If you repeat what you saw to anyone in the village, I will have them killed…and I will make you watch as I crush them under my foot" Arlong growled. Nami's gaze hardened and she nodded._

"_Whatever" she replied, feeling a great twinge of anger surge through her once more. This was Arlong, the man who murdered her mother in cold blood right in front of her. If he did have any humanity, Nami could bet it had died a long time ago…_

"So where's that Tiger guy now?" Luffy asked with interest. Nami snapped out of her day dream at this question and refocused on the area around her.

"Alas, Fisher Tiger has long since died and his crew split into smaller crews" Nyon explained.

"It is most likely why the fish-man's mark resembles our own" Hancock explained "Ironically, the devil fruits our master's fed us as a form of sick entertainment were what made it possible to deceive the country and protect our secret. If you hadn't covered Sandersonia's back earlier, we wouldn't have been able to stay in this country" A tear fell from Hancock's eyes and splashed upon her knees "WE MUST NOT LET ANYONE KNOW OF OUR PAST!" she started to shout with rage, her hands gripping her red robes tightly "EVEN IF WE MUST DECIEVE A WHOLE KINGDOM, EVEN IF WE MUST NEVER LET DOWN OUR GUARDS, WE WILL NEVER BE SLAVES AGAIN!" Hancock stopped yelling for a moment and her head lowered into her knees. She couldn't believe what she was doing. Crying, almost breaking down in front of strangers wasn't something she'd thought she'd do in a million years. Yet here she was, expressing her emotions in front of two people she barely knew. Slowly, Hancock looked upwards at the two pirates. They were watching intently…but it wasn't hatred and disgust in their eyes. It was sadness.

"The idea of being someone's slave" Hancock murmured with a shudder "is too frightening for me to endure"

"But it syure has been a long time since you were sincere about your own feelings" Nyon announced loudly with a smile "I actually thought that your heart might have turned to ice by now" At Nyon's words; Hancock quickly wiped her eyes and glared at her.

"Silence you old gremlin! YOU ARE A TRAITOR TO THE KUJA!" she bellowed angrily. Nyon twitched at this and quickly leapt up on her blue snake staff to look the empress in the eye.

"You are the one who shyould be silent!" Nyon yelled in return "When you were saved from the world nobles, you were just a helpless little girl with no knowledge of how to return to your village. Who do you thyink it was who brought you back hyere? You only myade it back here because I lived outside the kingdom!" Hancock snarled at the old woman.

"You try and change my mind because of such a small debt?" Hancock said as she turned away from Nyon. Sandersonia and Marigold quickly grabbed the old woman by the arms to hold her back from hitting their sister.

"WHYAT? HAVE I NYOT WATCHED OVER YOU SINCE YOU RETURNED? DO I NYOT LOVE YOU AS IF YOU WERE MY OWN CHILDREN?"

"Yes, yes" Marigold and Sandersonia chorused together, smiling at Nyon with joy in their eyes. Hancock ignored Nyon and merely walked away. Hancock's sudden change in attitude was a complete shock to Nami. Wasn't she remorseful a while ago? Nami's soft eyes hardened instantly. She just didn't get this princess. Turning to watch the empress' retreating head, Nami decided to keep a close eye on Hancock from that moment on. Before she could speak about it though, Hancock spoke first.

"Now…now that you know I am a slave…do you hate me?" she asked as she trembled. The woman tensed and clenched her fist in worry. Here it came. The inevitable judgement from these two pirates. They'd scorn her and ridicule her and tell everyone her secret. Hancock closed her eyes and waited for the worst.

"Are you kidding me?" Luffy asked in surprise "What do you think? I already told you. It doesn't matter what your past is and besides, I hate these celestial dragon guys"

Hancock's eyes widened. Her lower lip trembled. Her frame shook nervously…then she smiled with a faint blush on her cheeks.

"You know what…" the princess began as she turned around once more

"I like you!" she announced, smiling widely "You said you had another request before right? Very well, tell me where you wish to go and I'll lend you a ship" Luffy and Nami's eyes widened.

"Really?" the two asked. Hancock nodded. This man…he seemed like a good person…she wasn't so sure on the girl but the man had definitely made a good impression with her. Luffy smiled at Hancock's revelation and cheered loudly.

"YEAH! WE'RE GONNA SEE THE CREW AGAIN!" he yelled as he grabbed hold of Nami's hands and began to spin around with her. Nami smiled in return and laughed as the two spun around.

"SABOADY ARCHIPELAGO HERE WE COME!" she shouted with joy. Hancock smiled at the joy she had created in the room and felt her cheeks grow warm.  
"Then we will arrange a ship tomorrow morning to take you to Saboady Archipelago" Hancock announced with a smile. Luffy couldn't help but beam widely and he bowed at the older woman.

"Thank you for the trouble" he said happily. Luffy's joy, however, disappeared quite quickly as Luffy's stomach growled. Nami and Hancock both blushed at the loud roar from the rubber man's stomach.

"Oops, guess I'm hungry" Luffy mumbled, putting his arms behind his head as he chuckled. Nami unknowingly sniffed and recoiled away from her captain with a groan.

"Luffy! You stink!" she shouted with a groan. Luffy looked confused for a moment and leaned down to smell his armpits. Almost immediately, he recoiled holding his nose.

"Wow, that fight really made me sweat, huh?" he said. Hancock looked down at Nami's ripped Kuja outfit and Luffy's dirty frilly patterned shirt and sighed.

"I suppose you'll need to get washed and changed before going back to Saboady. Mari, Sonia, call for Margaret and her warriors and ask them to escort out new guests to the hot springs. Have new clothes prepared for the witch and get the man a shirt with a less...girly look. After which, I want them to have a seat" Marigold and Sandersonia nodded and stood up from their places.

"Come along man, witch" Marigold called as she walked towards the door. Nami and Luffy shrugged but still felt rather insulted.

"Okay…but we do have names…" Nami said loudly. The snake sister's paused for a moment near the door.

"And they are?" Sandersonia asked.

"I'm Nami and this bonehead here is Luffy" the navigator replied, ignoring the protests of her captain. In response, Sandersonia smiled.

"Nice to meet you Nami and welcome to Amazon Lily"

The glistening waters of the hot spring shone in the quiet afternoon sun. The white stone which held the water was almost hidden by the shimmering beauty of the pool above it. Currently, there were seven people in the area of the hot springs. Nami smiled as she stepped forward closer to the pool. The spring seemed to be a lot more quiet than usual without the crowds of women hanging out everywhere and the pool looked a lot more relaxing than the first time she had been here. Still, last time she had been here, everyone had thought that Luffy was a woman. Luckily, now that everything was sorted out, they could all relax for a bit. Of course, the silence was only momentary as soon, Luffy's loud yells drowned out the peaceful wind.

"NAMI, I'M DROWNING! HELP ME! HELP!" the straw-hat captain yelled. Nami sighed.

"Luffy, what did I tell you about leaping without looking?" she asked with an irritated tone. However, the navigator did save her captain, quickly leaping into the water whilst ignoring the clothes she was wearing. She carefully pulled Luffy onto the edge of the spring and sat him there out of harms way. Luffy soon found his strength return and smiled happily at Nami.

"Thanks Nami" he laughed with joy. Nami sighed and pulled herself up onto the side of the pool.

"Luffy look what you've done" she yelled "Your clothes are now all soaking wet"

"So are yours!" Luffy retorted. Nami growled and hit Luffy gently on the shoulder.

"That's because I was helping you dumbass" Nami complained. Behind the two pirates, the four warriors were currently watching the pair with interest and confusion.

"They're really odd aren't there?" Kikyou commented. Aphelandra agreed with a nod.

"I like them" Margaret said with a soft smile "They don't seem to be bad people"

"The saga of 'I agree with Margaret'" Sweet Pea added. Kikyou nodded as well. She had remembered the battle in the arena well. This man had proved himself a pure soul and she was actually quite happy to have someone who was so selfless on the island. If anything, the sister's defeat had definitely taught the Kuja a lesson in humility and that was something that Kikyou could respect.

Whilst the warriors talked, Nami and Luffy were sitting quietly on the water's edge.

"This island is really cool, isn't it Nami?" Luffy questioned with a grin. Nami nodded but a small frown was on her face.

"Luffy…" she muttered, causing the straw-hat pirate to turn and look at her "what you said before…about not caring about someone's past…is that why you let me join your crew?" The rubber man tilted his head at Nami's question and shook his head.

"No, I wanted you as my navigator because…I just did" Luffy replied with an almost perplexed look on his face. Nami smiled softly at Luffy's answer.

"So…you have no idea about my past?" she asked. Luffy shook his head.

"Wouldn't matter anyway" the raven haired teen said as he lay down on the floor with his feet still hanging in the water. The orange haired woman beside him paused for a moment before speaking again.

"Then…why did you fight for me?" she asked with an interested look on her face. Luffy looked at Nami as if he were confused and laughed loudly.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked "That shark guy made you cry. No-one does that to my navigator" Nami couldn't help but blush as Luffy called her 'My Navigator' and turned her gaze to the sky.

"It's a nice day" she finally commented, hoping to change the subject. Luffy nodded but remained on the floor.

"Are you two goiyng to get ready or are you just goiyng to sit there and talk?" Nyon called from beside the warriors, laughing at the two pirates when they took a moment's pause.

"I guess we should get ready" Luffy finally concluded as he sprung up from his seat. Margaret smiled and stepped forwards holding a pile of clothes under one arm and two towels in the other.

"Here you go" she said, handing the towels to Nami and Luffy. Nami nodded as a thank you and then prepared to dry herself…until she realised that the warriors were still watching her.

"C-can you please turn away for a moment?" Nami asked as a blush covered her cheeks. The warriors nodded and complied with the navigator's request, turning around so as not to annoy her. Nami smiled and was about to undress to dry properly when she noticed that Luffy was still looking at her, a wide smile on his face. Nami felt her cheeks go red and she hit Luffy in the head.

"Idiot, that means you too" she growled. Luffy chuckled.

"Sorry Nami" he said as he too turned around. The two pirates were so engrossed in drying off that they missed the quiet laughter from Nyon as she too turned away.

"WOW NAMI, LOOK AT MY SHIRT! IT'S AWESOME!"

"Luffy…it's just like your old shirt but green"  
"Yeah…BUT I'VE NEVER HAD A GREEN SHIRT BEFORE! THIS IS SWEET!" Nami giggled quietly as Luffy continued to hop around the rocks with his new look. As always, Luffy had his trusty straw-hat on his head but now, he was wearing a dark green shirt (quite similar to what he was usually accustomed to wearing) and a pair of brown shorts. Nami herself had also got changed into a new outfit but overall, wasn't too sure of it. She had been given the orange shirt she had worn on Saboady Archipelago but, now, it had been repaired back to its original undamaged state. She had exchanged the small white shorts she had worn with the orange t-shirt and was now wearing a short white skirt. At first, Nami had wondered if she and Luffy had been given clothes that made them stand out. After all, Margaret's clothes were nothing like Nami's and she was wondering if the change had been done to ensure that, should anything happen, she and Luffy would be easy to spot. Nami soon shook off these suspicions and leaned down to pick her clima-tact, which she had left on the ground. Noticing Nami picking up the blue staff, Margaret stepped forward and pointed at it with interest.

"Hey Nami, what's that?" she asked. Nami looked down at the staff and smiled, twirling the long pole around in her hands.

"This? It's a weapon that one of our crewmates built for me" she revealed. Luffy nodded.

"Yep, Usopp's really smart when it comes to building stuff. Once, he built a gun that fired toast, and it was…"

"Not now Luffy" Nami replied with a sigh. Kikyou stepped forward and nodded.

"It is a device that controls the weather" she informed the confused Margaret "I watched her use it against the snake sisters. It was…effective" The blonde stared at the weather staff with a bewildered expression.

"Really?...Could you give us a demonstration?" Margaret asked. Nami hesitated for a moment but seeing the encouraging glances from Luffy and the other women, she sighed.

"Sure, why not?" she said, separating the pole into its usual three components.

"Cool ball! Heat ball!" Nami yelled as she rotated two pieces of the clima-tact in her hands. As commanded, the small blue poles created a barrage of their respective balls of cold and warmth and the balls collided in the air.

"You see" Nami began with a smile at the wonder on the faces of those around her "The cool balls and the heat balls collide in mid air creating clouds. The more cool balls and heat balls collide, the more clouds there are" Aphelandra gasped in wonder and Sweet Pea's eyes widened.

"The saga of 'this is amazing'" the large woman commented. Nami grinned.

"And then I'll stop the supply of cool and heat balls and add a thunder ball into the mix, creating a thunder cloud" she announced. The small poles, however, didn't feel like slowing down. Nami's eyes widened as the pieces of the clima-tact continued to create the cool and heat balls.

"I said 'then I'll stop the supply of cool and heat balls'…" Nami said angrily. Still, the blue poles didn't stop and continued to spurt out a variety of cool and heat balls. By now, Luffy had realised that something was wrong.

"Nami…that clouds getting huge…I suggest you stop making those things" he said with worry. Nami turned to Luffy, a look of surprise on his face.

"I…I can't…no matter what I press, the cool balls and heat balls keep being made" she argued. Luffy approached Nami but quickly had to step to the side as a thunder ball shot past him.

"Nami…stop it now…" he said once more turning to his navigator. Nami, however, found that she couldn't. She had stopped rotating the poles and yet still, a large amount of cool and heat balls were pouring into the air. By now the cloud was roughly twice as large as the whole island. Not only that, but now the other piece of the clima-tact Nami had left on the floor was now spurting out thunder balls that flew upwards and entered the extremely large cloud. The wide clump of white fluff was slowly turning a dark black. Nervously, Margaret stepped forward and grabbed hold of Nami's shoulder.

"You know what Nami…I don't want to see anymore…can't you stop it?" she asked. Nami shook her head, a look of despair on her face.

"I'm trying but it won't stop" the navigator complained. In a sudden fit of rage, Nami growled and flung the cold pole onto the ground. At the inevitable 'clunk' that came from the pole hitting the floor, the cool balls that were being produced suddenly doubled in size and speed. At the plight of the cold pole, both the heat pole in Nami's hand and the thunder pole on the floor began to speed up the production of their respective weather balls, which also increased in size. As a heat ball flew out into Nami's hand, the navigator recoiled with a gasp of pain and let go of the pole she had a hold of. In response, the three poles that were now on the floor seemed to spark and react, doubling the production speed of the heat, cool and thunder balls once more and increasing the size of each to a gigantic sphere. Slowly, Nami stepped away from the reacting weapons and looked up at the sky. The dark cloud was now at least 10 times larger than the island around them. The group of warriors slowly stepped away from the pulsating pieces of the clima-tact. The sky was growing dark due to the large dark cloud above the island. Luffy quickly stood alongside Nami and looked at her with an incredibly shocked face.

"Nami…I think your clima-tact might be broken…" Luffy whispered with wide eyes. Nami's eyes widened at the large stream of cold, heat and thunder than was rising in an endless stream into the sky.

"Oh…you think?"

* * *

_**To be continued in Chapter 8: Shining ray**_

_With the clima-tact short circuited and going out of control, Luffy and Nami have unknowingly changed the fate of the entire world in one simple act. Will Nami be able to stop the clima-tact? Will Luffy and Nami finally reunite with their crew? And what is so important about this massive storm in the skies of Amazon Lily? One thing is for sure, the whole world will feel the impact of the events that will unfold, next time on Search The Wind!_

_**So, what do you guys think of Search The Wind so far? Please tell me what you think and what you like or dislike about the story because, to be honest, I really wasn't sure about the ending to this chapter. But the reason why I ended the chapter how I did will become clear, next time…**_

* * *

_**Cover story:?**_

_**Part 1: Strange winds to the north? Go Rosy Life Riders! Go!**_

Once more, the shining afternoon sun was shining down on Saboady Archipelago. The soft light reflected through the massive dark blue trees of Grove forty-one. Nearby these monolithic structures of nature, there was a cliff, leading to the ocean. The sea was calm and blue with nothing disturbing the water but a strange furry rock. On closer inspection, one would realise that this rock was actually a gigantic furry creature with a large mouth and nose, as well as a pair of horns sprouting from the head of the 'rock'. Standing on the rock was a strange man with blonde hair and dark brown eyes. As bubbles floated past him from a nearby tree, the man's face seemed to distort as his eyes wobbled up and down.

"Darn…it…" Duval muttered as his face shook as he attempted to shape it "I…can't seem to…wink properly…" the man continued to shape his face but to no avail and eventually, he sighed loudly.

"Excuse me, Captain Duval!" A voice called from nearby. Duval turned around at the sound of his name to see his crewmembers standing on the deck of a ship, gesturing to him.

"The Straw-hat masters are taking a long time, aren't they?" the man yelled with a worried frown "perhaps they've been captured" At the suggestion, Duval laughed loudly.

"Fool! The straw-hat's have too much energy to be captured. They represent the lively energy that we Rosy Life Riders have as well. Dare we doubt them?" The reply from the Rosy Life Riders was a resounding "NO" that sounded all around Saboady Archipelago.

"Exactly" Duval said with a smile "And therefore we will wait until the straw-hat masters get here!" The Rosy Life Riders cheered loudly at this and Duval, himself, smiled. The joy, however, was cut short when a nearby transponder snail began to ring. At the noise, Duval quickly picked it up.

"Hello" he called, only to get a panicked reply on the other end

" _Master Duval! GET HERE QUICKLY! SOMETHING'S GOING ON HERE! QUICKLY!"_ Duval covered his ears for a moment then spoke again.

"Calm down friend. You said there's something wrong right? Where are you?" he asked.

"_I and two other fish riders are near the calm belt. We were searching for some rare sea king meat that we could put on the market but then the sea started getting rough. There's a wind sir! It's coming from the north!"_ Duval's eyes widened.

"The north? But…you said you were near the calm belt right? Then the wind would be coming from…"

"_Yeah, that's the point. We need help Master Duval! We've taken shelter on an island but the hurricane is getting worse! We need a doctor and aid as soon as possible" _Duval nodded (even though he knew the person on the other end couldn't see it.

"DO NOT WORRY!" he yelled loudly "IN THE NAME OF THE ROSY LIFE RIDERS, WE WILL SAVE YOU!"

"_Thank you Master Duval, please hurry…"_ With that, the transponder snail snapped off. Duval put the transponder down and looked up at the thousand sunny.

"You guys!" he said pointing towards the crew on the ship "Some of our crew members are in trouble to the north, I need ten men to be ready to move within five minutes. Everyone else, stay here and protect Master Straw-hat's ship with your LIFE!" The Rosy Life Riders cheered and response and quickly, ten men bounded down the plank and got to work getting ready to head north. Duval, however, was incredibly uneasy.

"A strong wind to the north, ey?" he asked no one in particular.

* * *

_**And that was part 1 of the cover story. What are cover stories? Well, I'm beginning to realise I can't fit all the story I want into a chapter so, what better to do than follow One Piece tradition and do a cover story **___

_**Until then I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.**_

_**Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.**_


	8. Chapter 8

…_**I know it's taken a while to do this chapter…but I do have several good reasons**_

_**Spoiler warning for reason 1**_

_**I had an idea about a way to incorporate Arlong into Hancock's backstory as we didn't know much about Arlong really back then…but then we've seen his past and instead of being able to portray him as a slave who hated humans for the same reason Hancock hates men, it turns out that was Fisher Tiger and Arlong was really just completely pure evil…so I've pretty much abandoned on that plan**_

_**This chapter was really hard to write**_

_**I've been getting lots of homework recently, so I wanted to work on some smaller stories that didn't take up as much time as Search The Wind does**_

_**I'm incredibly lazy…sorry…**_

_**But luckily, Chapter 8 is here. Why I am publishing it on Friday the thirteenth you may ask? Well…because I really wanted to make this the last story I updated before my birthday. That's right, it's Shadowonthewall6's B-day tomorrow…that doesn't really have anything to do with the story though and in fact, this chapter is a present from me to all of you (I know that you give presents the other way round, but I don't really care)**_

_**So this new chapter of Search The Wind AND the TWO cover stories that come with it are a gift to all you loyal fans out there. Thank you for waiting patiently for this next chapter and a thank you for reading and reviewing.**_

_**As usual, I hope you enjoy and, without further ado, on with the show!**_

* * *

_**Cover story: ?**_

_**Part 2: Storm heading this way? Marineford threatened!**_

Sengoku was honestly not sure with how to deal with the news he had just received. At first, the old fleet admiral looked downwards at his paperwork, all of which now seemed incredibly insignificant. For a moment longer, he was quiet, drumming his old yet firm hands along the wooden worktop of the table. Finally, after tapping out a melody to his liking, Sengoku raised his gaze so that he was now looking up at the man before him. For once, Monkey D. Garp was not smiling. Nor was he laughing or showing any hint of joy. The gruff man's eyes were only filled with a rather odd serious tint to them that would have made lesser men shudder under their gaze. Sengoku had been Fleet Admiral for over 15 years, being a marine admiral before that and had dreamed of being a marine since he could first walk. He didn't even blink under Garp's gaze. With a slight adjustment of his spectacles, Sengoku looked once more at Garp, registering the new news.

"What do you mean there's a storm coming?" He asked in a murmur.

"I mean exactly what I've said Sengoku. We're getting reports from a variety of our operatives in the field. One of these was our vice admiral Momonga, who was caught in the storm. He told us that he was heading to seek shelter on the island belonging to the warlord of the sea, Boa Hancock" Sengoku sighed at this, wrinkles spreading out at the top of his skull.

"This will only make our relationship with the empress more troublesome…but it cannot be avoided I suppose. But how is there a storm IN THE CALM BELT?" The fleet admiral questioned, his fist hitting his desk in anger, smashing the wood to pieces. At this act, Sengoku sighed once more.

"Tsura…" he called

"I'll have another one brought up for you momentarily sir" a voice replied from outside the room.  
"Thank you…" the strategist murmured, once more turning to Garp "like I was asking, how?"

"I have no idea" Garp replied with a demanding tone in his face "but whatever is happening, we shall need to act. If the storm continues heading here, towards Marineford, who knows how many troop's we will lose…" Sengoku nodded with agreement and then sat back in his chair, arms folded.

"So what do you propose?"

"We need to delay the execution of Portgas D. Ace"

"OUT OF THE QUESTION!" Sengoku demanded, bringing his fist down upon his desk once more, this time literally splitting the thing in two.

"TSURA!"

"I said I was on it sir…"

"THANK YOU!" Sengoku roared, once again focusing on Garp "are you insane? In five days time, that execution HAS to happen. The whole world will be watching! Whitebeard may make his move! We do not want to give one of the four emperors of the sea more time to prepare! Plus…you and I both know about Ace's heritage…"

"We're not executing him because of his heritage" Garp countered sternly "he is the second division commander of Whitebeard's pirate crew and he has a long history of piracy. THAT is why we are executing him" Sengoku did not reply. He knew his old friend was stubborn and idiotic, but he knew he wasn't stupid. Garp knew why the world government wanted Ace dead.

"Anyway" Garp continued "it's not like we have a choice in the matter. In five days time, a ship journey between Impel Down and Marineford will be impossible in that storm. We'll have to evacuate our forces from the island, retracting the threat of losing our men for the battle. In the time the storm is encompassing Marineford, our forces could regroup. We could gather our forces more effectively…and most importantly, when this storm ends and we've made repairs to the damages, we will be more than ready to execute Ace…but this time, we shall have an army of marines larger than there have ever been assembled together to defeat Whitebeard's forces" The room grew silent. Sengoku's eyes were widened and he was staring at Garp like he hadn't seen him properly in years. Garp's reasoning and planning were understandable and also, preferable. It was a surprise to the fleet commander that his friend was so strongly convicted to following justice…despite his connection to Ace.

"Fine" Sengoku agreed "we shall postpone the execution, until this matter is solved. Order an evacuation of the base and we shall fall back to an area of safety. Mariejois would be a good place where the upper marines could travel to, whilst the others could aid in the construction of the new Enies Lobby. I believe that is a reasonable course of action, don't you Garp?" Garp nodded in reply.

"It will be done…good day Fleet Admiral!"

"You are dismissed Garp"

The two marine's saluted each other, before Garp turned around and left the room. He spoke to no-one as he strolled through the corridors of Marineford. No words left his mouth as he entered the courtyard to the island, where all ready; it appeared that the order to evacuate was being spread around. He didn't talk even as he boarded his ship. Once he was finally within the safe compound of his ship, he looked over to his men. All of their faces were of shock and anticipation, awaiting their instructions. Helmeppo and Coby were near the front, saluting their commander nervously. Slowly, Garp found a smirk, which crossed his face in a wide grin.

"Men! We're going on a little holiday…" he casually announced, not noticing the small tear clutching to his cheek.

* * *

_**Chapter 8: Shining Ray**_

The word 'storm' was almost unknown to Amazon Lily. Living in the calm belt, the citizens had only heard of the word through rumours passed on by the brave kuja pirates, who had sailed all the oceans in the world and had seen storms with their own eyes. It was described by the Kuja in daring stories where Storms were not just clouds, wind and water. Storms were roaring and howling beasts of pure uncontrollable rage. The women of Amazon Lily were often torn between wanting to see the odd sensation up close and at the same time, wishing that the weather phenomenon would never come to their peaceful island…

Unfortunately, they had failed with that…

The sky above Amazon Lily was dark and grey except for the multitude of sparks of lightning that shot out of the clouds. Already the sea around the coast was going crazy as an odd fierce wind blew around Amazon Lily, created by the cold and warm air that was colliding constantly in the dark clouds. Luffy stood watching the building storm with a shocked expression. Nami, Margaret and Kikyou were standing beside him, gazing upwards towards the darkening sky. Nami's clima-tact had gone crazy. Piles of thunder balls, cool balls and heat balls were soaring upwards and advancing into the dark clouds. In the short time since the 'incident' had started, the storm had grown from it's original state as a small black storm cloud into a gigantic unstoppable storm, which encompassed the whole of Amazon Lily and was at least twenty times bigger than the island by now. The screams from the village below was echoing out around them but Nami was frozen in place. What had she done? Why had this happened? How had it happened? She didn't know…but she couldn't stop it…

"What do we do?" Nami asked, completely unsure of herself and panicking at the sight of the storm.

"Easy…" At the man's bold declaration, Nami turned to Luffy.

"What?" she asked though to Luffy it sounded more like a command. He could see how much Nami was shaking and he didn't like it. The straw-hat captain grinned at her and winked.

"When all else fails…there's one unbeatable strategy that solves any problem you could imagine…"

"Which is…?" Nami tried to ask but was interrupted by Luffy pushing her gently to one side. Luffy then ran forwards at full tilt towards the reacting pieces of the clima-tact. By now, the storm was over thirty times bigger than the island but Luffy wasn't concerned. With one foul swoop, he brought his leg crashing down onto the thunder pole. The gum-gum axe shattered the thunder pole to pieces and sparks shot out for a moment before the machine stopped spluttering and died quietly. Luffy turned to the women and smiled at their amazed expressions.

"Break stuff" the straw-hat captain announced, clutching his hat to keep it on his head in the wind.

Almost immediately, the reacting sparks in the sky calmed down, leaving only the large black cloud, which grew more and more, almost completely blacking out the shining light of the thunder balls. Nami stared in shock at the broken piece of her clima-tact on the floor and could feel her hands curling into fists.

"What the hell did you do that for?" she shrieked at her captain. Luffy shrugged at Nami's response and then smiled afterwards.

"I just saved the whole island, duh" The straw-hat captain announced with vigour. Nami groaned loudly and was about to bang Luffy on the head, when a loud crackle of thunder sounded above them, causing the navigator to flinch.

"This storm is getting worse" she commented with a worried tone.

"Oh, you think?" Nami glared at Luffy and reprimanded the captain for his cockiness by slapping him on the arm. Luffy, of course, merely laughed off the slap and turned back to the building clouds.

"Nami" he mumbled to attract her attention "You need to get those clouds out of here"

"Oh yeah, I'll get right on that" Nami replied bitterly with a roll of her eyes "JUST HOW ON EARTH DO YOU SUGGEST I DO THAT?" Luffy shrugged in reply but he interrupted Nami's attempt to clobber him as he pointed to the remaining two pieces of clima-tact left on the floor.

"You're the weather master here and you've got two raging elements. You can do SOMETHING Nami!"

"Oh yeah, what can I do with a lot of hot air and a lot of cold air, make a…" Suddenly, Nami's eyes lit up with realisation.

"Luffy! YOU'RE A GENIUS!" She cried happily, running towards the two reacting pieces of the clima-tact on the floor. Nami picked the long blue poles up off the floor and with a deep breath, she thrust the cool and heat balls together, wishing her plan would work. As if the cool and heat balls could read Nami's mind and understand her wishes, the two streams of red and blue joined together, forming a large gust of wind. The wind soared upwards, impacting the enormous dark black clouds. The moment the howling wind connected with the storm clouds, the black sky suddenly shattered into smaller clouds, impaled by the large wind corridor. Almost as quickly as the clouds had formed, the large gust of wind pushed away the dark clouds from Amazon Lily in all directions.

After a few more seconds, the sky above Amazon Lily was once more a clear bright blue, though dark clouds were visible on all over sides of the island. The island of women was effectively now the eye of Nami's storm.

With the clouds having been removed, the Kuja in the area were frozen and all shocked by Nami's weather display. The orange haired navigator collapsed onto her knees, panting and sweating as if she had just run a marathon. Luffy chuckled and smiled happily at the clear blue sky and continued to jump up and down.

"See, told you you were a weather master. You've amazing Nami" he said, sitting down beside Nami. Nami did not reply but merely smiled as well, falling onto her back with a sigh.

"WHYAT JYUST HAPPENED HYERE?" Nyon called from behind the warriors as she stepped forward. Nami didn't reply for a moment but finally, she pulled herself into a sitting position. Gently, she picked up one of the clima-tact pieces on the floor. Both of the remaining parts had died down now but neither appeared to be working either. Remembering all Usopp taught her, Nami carefully unscrewed the top ball off of one of the clima-tact parts and inspected the inside of the device.

"Look at this…" Nami murmured, removing a dial from the small pole. Luffy leaned over to her to see the dial and his eyes widened. The small seashell had an extremely large crack in it, spreading over the full width of the dial. It looked like the whole of the dial was barely clinging together.

"I'm guessing that had something to do with the malfunction" Nami commented with a sigh, analysing the sea shell "how did it break like that?" Luffy shrugged in reply.

"Well…we have been through a lot recently, it could have been anything. It could have been during the fight with the snake girls, the battle with Kuma, that time I landed on it as we crashed into Amazon Lily…" the straw-hat captain speculated. Nami, however, was extremely unsure by everything Luffy was saying.

"I guess all of those strains in the dials just…overloaded them so they smashed…" the navigator mumbled. Suddenly, her mind clicked into gear and she turned over to Luffy with a glare.

"You…LANDED ON MY CLIMA-TACT!" Nami yelled angrily. Luffy nodded but held his hands up in defence.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! You DID say that the clima-tact broke because you may have overloaded, don't blame this on me landing on it!" the straw-hat captain pleaded.

"That was BEFORE I knew you LANDED on my clima-tact! You probably cracked it and it couldn't keep up with the amount I was using it. Thanks a lot you IDIOT!"

"No problem" the grinning captain replied.

Nami growled angrily and bashed Luffy over the head. Luffy murmured a small "ow" and shook his head, before looking back up to the sky. His eyes then widened to an extremely large size. Nami noticed Luffy's surprise and turned to see what he had spotted. By this time, Nyon, Kikyou, Margaret, Aphelandra and Sweet Pea had also noticed Luffy and Nami gazing upwards. The five all looked upwards and their eyes widened, mimicking Luffy's gawping shock.

"What…"

"the…"

"hell…"

"is…"

"that?..."

Nami and Luffy both exchanged a quick glance of confusion and then looked once more up at the sky.

"Nami…"

"Yeah…"

"Since…since when can islands fly…and since when are they made of clouds?"

Hancock was irritated. In fact, irritated was a massive understatement. After having two pirates defeat her sisters, she had now allowed these people to stay in her kingdom for a brief time. It had been three hours since she had first met these pirates and in those three hours, Amazon Lily had been hit by a strange storm, there were reporting's of WINDS actually in the calm belt and, most troublingly, she had recently received word of an island flying over her island. It was over 10 minutes after hearing this news that she managed to reach the hot springs, where it had first been reported that the dark clouds had been seen around. As she entered the hot springs, Hancock noticed a large amount of Kuja warriors keeping crowds of women at bay, all of which who wished to enter the hot springs. Hancock marched through all of them, her goal in sight. Beyond the large amount of women, Hancock could make out both the raven haired man from before and the orange haired woman who he had arrived with beside the hot spring. Nami was currently focusing on her clima-tact, examining the cracked dials, which she had removed from the device. Luffy's eyes were focused on the large island that was floating high above Amazon Lily. Hancock noticed the sky island but shuddered.

"One problem at a time…" Hancock murmured as she made her way forwards. She stopped above the navigator and looked down at her. Nami didn't react to the snake princess and continued to examine the dials on the floor.

"What happened?" Hancock asked. Nami looked up at the raven haired woman. Her chocolate eyes met the princess' dark blue eyes. The area was silent as the two women stared at each other. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Nami finally replied to her.

"…My clima-tact…it broke…it accidently created a storm…"

"SO IT WAS YOU WHO BROUGHT THAT FOUL STORM TO MY KINGDOM?" Nami nodded softly, looking back down to the floor. Hancock growled at this.

"How dare you…" Hancock muttered, her hands shaking with rage "I SHALL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS WEATHER WITCH!"

"Try it and you'll wish you hadn't" Both Nami and Hancock looked upwards at the sound of Luffy's voice. It sounded demanding and harsh. The straw-hat pirate was not in the mood for games. His eyes were still focusing on the odd flying island high above him. At Luffy's words, Hancock found the heat in her cheeks rising and she suddenly became increasingly flustered.

"B-b-but L-l-luffy…"

"The storm's gone now, but that thing is still here…we should be finding out what that is…" Luffy explained, pointing upwards at the cloud island. Hancock nodded, a large blush covering her cheeks.

"O-o-of c-c-course L-l-luffy" she agreed. Nami raised an eyebrow at Hancock's odd behaviour but said nothing of it and looked back over to Luffy. The boy seemed incredibly distracted by the flying island, scanning it with his charcoal eyes.

It was then when he spotted it.

"Hey guys, there's something coming down from that island" Luffy announced. At Luffy's call, both Nami and Hancock looked upwards. Sure enough, there was something that was coming out of the island. It was a single black dot in the distance, but it was steadily getting closer.

"KUJA! TO ARMS!" Hancock yelled, stepping backwards away from the hot spring. At their princess' cry, the warriors nearby turned away from their job of keeping the women at bay and aimed with their bows towards the object descending from the sky island. Nami attempted to stumble away from the object but stopped as she realised Luffy had remained in his place.

"Luffy, come on! Let's go!" Nami called to her captain. Luffy did not respond and instead, remained where he stood. The descending object was now in full view. It appeared to be a small circular upside-down dome. A With the descending object in sight, Luffy noticed that riding the strange floating device was an old man. He was wearing a long blue robe with a large pointy hat on his head. A long flowing beard was flowing down from his chin. After a while, the large flying contraption landed in the water, resting peacefully in the hot spring. The kuja pirates continued to point towards the stranger with their arrows. The old man was unperturbed by this and leapt out of his machine with a smile.

"Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey nice to meet you" the old man said with a large grin. The kuja were frozen in place as they watched the old man with wary eyes.

"Who are you?" Hancock demanded, angrily glaring at the man. The old man smiled happily in reply and waved at the empress.

"My name is Haredas, it's nice to meet you…miss?" he announced. Hancock and the group of the Kuja gasped loudly, all glaring at the old man as if he had just announced that he hated all of them.

"HOW DARE NOT KNOW OF OUR BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS!" one of the warriors announced loudly. Haredas tilted his head in confusion at this and continued to speak.

"Well you see, I'm here because…well it all is rather complicated" Haredas began "You see, I was told to come here by this…giant person…" the surrounding group looked at the old man cynically but Haredas raised his hands in defence of their angry gazes "I know it sounds weird, but it's true. He appeared out of nowhere and…well…he made a deal that I didn't want to refuse. I mean, when are we ever going to get a chance to study the calm belt? NEVER! THAT'S WHEN! That's why I accepted his 'mission' if you will. I was supposed to find someone who he called 'the weather witch'" Immediately all eyes turned towards Nami. Even Luffy looked over to his navigator…

"Hey Nami, do you know who this weather witch person could be?" Nami could just FEEL the rage building but held it back and sighed loudly.

"Luffy…I believe the weather witch he was referring to…is me" she explained. Luffy's eyes widened.

"But, you're not a witch…right?"

"Wouldn't surprise me" a mutter said from nearby. Nami turned to glare at Hancock, as the raven haired woman glared back…not that she didn't have a reason. Nami understood that her storm had shifted more than just the tides. Hancock was now more hostile than ever, seeing Nami as a threat to the stability of her kingdom…Nami didn't want to be a threat but, then again, she couldn't really control what her clima-tact had done.

"So you are the weather witch?" Haredas asked, scanning Nami as if silently judging her "Nice to meet you young lady"

"Er…likewise…" Nami replied with a mutter. Haredas grinned at this and then looked down onto the floor. Before his feet was the heat pole from Nami's clima-tact.

"What's this?" the old man asked, dropping to his knees and picking up the heat pole.

"Don't touch it" Nami threatened. Haredas, of course, did not listen and instead, continued to analyse the clima-tact piece.

"This…how did you make this?" Haredas finally asked, turning to look at Nami.

"She didn't" Luffy interrupted "Usopp did, he made that weather pole thing. Why do you wanna know old guy?" Haredas suddenly became very excited at Luffy's answer and leapt over to Luffy.

"Where is this Usopp? I wish to meet him. This machine is an amazing contraption! We on Weatheria have developed lots of inventions but never have I seen something of this complexity in something so…so small…" the old man pleaded, glancing around the glaring women, hoping to spot this 'Usopp' person.

"Well…Usopp was on our crew…but we really don't know where he or anyone is at present…" Luffy revealed with a sad glare at the water. Haredas' happiness immediately dropped and he shook his head, glancing at the clima-tact.

"Strange…odd…but then again, this is the calm belt. Oh I'm so excited to be here! Tell me…" Haredas shouted, turning to Hancock with a wide smile.

"What is the eco system like here? Do you get enough rain? How do you live here? How do you travel? Do you know this Usopp?" Haredas began to rant question after question to the snake princess and the more he talked, the more irritated Hancock became.

"Look!" the princess interrupted loudly "I am Boa Hancock, the pirate empress of Amazon Lily. I am too beautiful to answer the questions of foolish commoners…especially of a foolish man...all I want to know, is what are you doing on my island and what can this witch do to make you go away?" In response to Hancock's angry speech, Haredas' eyes became hearts and he swooned in place, cooing praises of Hancock's beauty. Nami sighed loudly at the old man's perverted nature but never the less, listened to his answers.

"Oh beautiful princess!" Haredas called "I was sent here by a giant who told me to seek out a weather witch…but he told me not what to do when I found her…just that I find her…" Finally, after a few seconds of more swooning, Haredas turned away from Hancock and turned to look at Nami.

"However…this machine does interest me to an extreme amount" Haredas commented, looking down at the blue bar in his hands "I would LOVE to study this device…may I borrow it for a while?"

"No…" Nami responded with a glare, snatching back the heat pole from the old man. She didn't care how much deep water she was, she wasn't just going to give away her most valuable weapon…

Sure it didn't work any more, but it could still hurt if she whacked it around someone's head.

"Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey" Haredas ranted, stamping his foot angrily "why not? If you help me then…I'll help you. I have various weather devices scattered around on the island I could acquire and I'm sure I could find away to make this deal a benefit to both of us. The other scientists could all pitch in and we could turn you into a REAL weather witch, giving you devices that have powers over all of nature. I'm not asking to HAVE the device; I just want to study it. That way, we may be able to create blueprints for it and be able to replicate it. Imagine the benefits this could do for mankind!" Nami was silent under Haredas' gaze. Luffy and the other Kuja present all turned to face Nami, confused by her silence. Nami's eyes were staring directly at the old man but they weren't really seeing him. Nami was thinking. Her mind was only focused on one thought. To be honest, she didn't really care about bettering mankind…but something that Haredas said was echoing in her head…

A real weather witch…

She could be stronger, stronger than ever before…

She could protect the people closest to her…

She wouldn't be a burden to Luffy anymore…

"Nami?"

Nami immediately jolted out of her day dream and turned to see Luffy shaking her shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked.

"You can analyse the clima-tact…" Nami finally replied, focusing on Haredas "But it doesn't work right now. It runs on dials…so I'll make a deal. You can study the clima-tact all you want, you can even make blueprints for it and make one for yourself…but first, you need to fix mine first. It runs on dials that make cold air, hot air and lightning…though the lightning rod is kinda shattered to pieces. If you can remake and repair my clima-tact and if you can give me gadgets that make my weather manipulation easier and allow me to do more with my clima-tact, then you can do whatever you want with the blue prints" Haredas was silent for a moment. He grasped his beard and stroked it in deep thought.

"…Alright…"the old man finally agreed with a nod of his head "We have a deal" and with that, the man quickly swiped away the clima-tact poles Nami had held in her hand and looked down at them with a large grin "So, shall we fix this then?" Haredas suggested as he quickly headed back to the small machine he had used to descend to Amazon Lily. As he was about to board it, he looked backwards to see the large group of Kuja watching him curiously. His eyes wandered back to the two straw-hat pirates who were also watching him and he sighed. "Well then, aren't you coming?" he asked. Nami and Luffy's eyes widened and the two pointed at themselves, as if to clarify that they were who Haredas was talking to. Haredas nodded and instantly, Luffy had leapt from his place and was now standing next to Haredas, dancing with joy.

"YEAH! COME ON NAMI! LET'S GO HAVE AN ADVENTURE!" he yelled happily, stretching an arm backwards to grab Nami's arm. The orange haired navigator found she couldn't resist as she was pulled along towards Haredas' waiting contraption. Hancock's sapphire eyes grew larger as shock filled her wide blue orbs.

"But Luffy! Where are you two going?" she asked.

"WEREN'T YOU LISTENING? WE'RE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE HAMMOCK!" Luffy called with a wide grin, not noticing the older woman swooning at the mention the boy's poor attempt to remember her name. Nami sighed as she was pulled into the machine, trying to free herself from Luffy's grip.

"Sorry for this, we'll be back as soon as we can" Nami announced, only for the machine to begin to rise in mid sentence. The navigator looked upwards, realising the machine's ascent and flopped down into a seat, her head in her hands, wondering how the hell she had got into this mess. Hancock and the other Kuja could only watch as the small contraption flew slowly into the sky. With a flick of her hair, Hancock turned around from the scene, her face now bold and serious.

"Okay…who can tell me what the hell is going on?"

Nami was sure her eyes was wider than she ever thought possible. In one day, she had been magically sent to an island of women, clashed with two giant snake monsters, made friends (sort of) with the leader of the island, created an impossibly large storm by complete accident and now, she had been whisked away by her straw-hat captain and an old man with a beard that was almost as long as he was tall to a magical island that was floating in the sky.

Nami was pretty sure she'd left her sanity back on Saboady archipelago.

The room around her was basically beyond belief. The walls of the room were a giant bubble that was formed around the arrival area as a sort of shield. Light green grass covered the floor, except for the small smooth white stone path that led from the smaller entrance bubble into the main room. Nami glanced over the rest of the room, shocked by what the stunning beauty of the island in the sky. She'd been on a sky island before and an island that produced bubbles…but an island that travelled on a bubble seemed pretty far fetched…at least until now…

Then again, Nami reminded herself, she had once dismissed many a thing that had appeared on their travels through the Grand Line. Outside of the bubble, standing on part of the white stoned walkway, Nami could make out a large variety of other people, oddly dressed identical to Haredas, standing there waiting for them. As Haredas' odd contraption pushed its way out of the bubble, Nami could hear the questions being shouted up to them.

"Hey Haredas, what happened down there?"

"Who are these people?"

"Did these people have anything to do with that storm?"

Haredas attempted to keep the swarming curious crowds at bay in order to park his flying contraption on the white stone path. Luckily, the long bearded men were patient and so once the machine was parked on the ground, Haredas addressed all of them.

"Well you see my comrades, these people are from the blue sea and they've come to help us with our research. This here is weather witch…"

"Nami" the orange haired navigator interrupted.

"And this here is her servant"

"Luffy" the black haired captain corrected with a nod of his head.

"They've tasked us with a GREAT struggle" Haredas continued, ignoring the two pirates at his side "they have allowed us to study…this…" and with that, Haredas produced one of the clima-tact pieces from his hand. The other mages gasped and began to whisper happily among each other.

"If we can provide the required dials that fit in this machine and repair the machine to it's full capacity, we will be able to keep the blue prints to this interesting device. With this, our weather manipulation may be even easier than before" Haredas suggested to the nodding of the other bearded men.

"Is the woman that the giant spoke to you of?" A man with a light brown beard piped up, staring at Nami with confusion. Haredas nodded. The old man smiled and walked forwards towards Nami. Slowly, the man adjusted his hat and then winked at Nami slyly.

"~Why hello hot stuff~…"

Those were the only words the man could say before he was stuck by Nami's hand and sent flying backwards. The other men gasped and slowly moved away from the navigator, scared by her sudden strength.

"Any of you got any of the same bright ideas?" Nami asked with gritted teeth. The reply she received was a unanimous shaking of heads.

"That's just how Philander is" A man with a black beard exclaimed "the fool is always flirting with women"

"And getting slapped by them" Haredas agreed with a nod of his head. Nami sighed, whilst Luffy chuckled loudly.

"Just like Sanji" Luffy joked. Nami rolled her eyes at this comment.

"Whoo hoo…" she responded bitterly. Haredas chuckled and Nami's reaction and then gestured towards the nearby elevator.

"Shall we begin repairing your…you called it a clima-tact right?" he asked. Nami nodded and then followed Haredas to the lift. Luffy, as usual, walked alongside her, still laughing at the old man, who was now implanted face first in the grass.

It didn't take long for the two pirates to reach Haredas' house and it took even less time for Luffy to become disinterested with the confusion explanation of how Haredas' planned to repair the clima-tact. The straw-hat captain, therefore, stayed outside of the house and lay down on the grass, looking upwards at the clear sky with wide eyed wonder. The clear blue sky high above him interested Luffy incredibly. It was almost completely absent of clouds, except for a few thin, white and fractured wisps of air.

"As you see, a cool dial is inserted in here, and then you connect it into the circuitry quite easily"

The small clouds looked so fragile that they were barely clinging to the sky. Luffy wondered if there were more of the clouds before the clima-tact storm broke out.

"Then, if I'm right, the dial is supposed to work by pressing this button right?"

Would his friends be looking at the same sky right now? And if they were, Luffy wondered just where about they would be? Would they manage to find each other again? Luffy shuddered slightly at the thought but shook off the feeling of doubt. Of course they'd find each other. They'd been through worse…or so he suspected…

"IT WORKS!" Nami's voice shouted from Haredas' house. At the sound of her voice, Luffy turned around and noticed that the orange haired navigator was now dancing for joy, holding the cool pole of the clima-tact in her hand.

"I think this piece is back to normal now..." Nami revealed, twirling the small blue clima-tact piece in her hand.

"See if it works again…" Luffy suggested, his mind still focused on the thought of his missing crew mates. Luckily, Nami didn't spot Luffy's distracted state and nodded.

"Okay then, here we go!" she called and with another twirl of the clima-tact piece, a cool breeze rushed from the clima-tact, encompassing the navigator. With that, the orange haired navigator disappeared and from where she once was, there came a cheer of success.

"Oh yeah! The mirage power is still working pretty well" the voice said with joy. Luffy smiled at Nami's happiness and sprung from his seat, glancing around in an attempt to spot her.

"Nami, where are you?" Luffy asked, turning his head from side to side in a useless attempt to notice her. It was then that Luffy felt two hands grasp his shoulder. The raven haired man jumped and turned around to face a smiling Nami, on the edge of laughter. Luffy pouted in response to his navigator's expression. This prompted Nami to actually start laughing.

"HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY!" Haredas yelled, looking out of the window at Nami with wide eyes "did you just make a mirage around yourself?" Nami stood there, completely confused by the question. She looked back down at the cool pole.

"Yeah…the clima-tact allows me to create them…can't you guys do that?"  
"Of course we can. We Weatharians are the masters of weather! We discovered the ability to create mirages a while ago…but they never really seemed to come in useful for us, so it has sort of become a lost idea" Haredas admitted sadly.

"Maybe now would be a good time to bust out the mirages again" Nami suggested. Haredas tilted his head at the question and his eyes widened slightly in confusion.

"What do you mean?" the old man questioned.

"Well, you see…all of the people on the island down below are probably a little bit confused and terrified that there's a floating island in the sky" Nami explained. Haredas grasped his chin within his hands and began to stroke his long beard in thought.

"Yes…I suppose they would think that. We'll have to do something to decrease the pandemonium" Haredas muttered to himself.

"...You could…cast a mirage on the base and the sides of the island" Nami suggested once more, nervous hesitation in her voice "that way, people wouldn't see it, so it wouldn't freak people out too much" Haredas gasped at this revelation and nodded in understanding.

"Oooh…that's a good idea…we do have quite a lot of cool dials spare! I suppose we should use them for that!" the old man then walked over to the door and exited the house, emerging next to Nami and her captain "I shall go discuss the situation with the other weather scientists and, together, we'll sort out the mirage in about an hour or so…you may want to head back down to the surface and discuss things with the lovely snake princess. She seemed kinda mad we were here, so we'd like to sort things out between her and get some sort of arrangement as soon as possible" Luffy nodded in agreement but was stopped from following Haredas back to the elevator by Nami's arm.

"Hold it" she instructed both of the men, her eyes resting on Haredas "How do I know you won't take off with my clima-tact as soon as we leave the island? You already flew here, so you could easily fly back out…"

"I don't think things will be that simple" Haredas admitted, his eyes retreating to gaze at the grass "you see, this island is powered by wind and…well, we're in the calm belt right now…which is notorious for not having any wind whatsoever, therefore, we can't really leave if we wanted to. The giant we spoke to before told us that when we truly wanted to go back home, he would aid us…I'm not too sure how though" Nami's suspicious stare stopped and she smiled at the old weather scientist.

"…all right then…I'll believe you this once…but pull any funny business and I swear, how to leave the calm belt will be the least of your worries" Haredas shivered at Nami's threat and quickly strolled away towards the elevator.

"Come on, I'll take you down" he said. Nami nodded and followed the old man slowly. Luffy, however, was already next to the old man, looking at him questioningly.

"So…"the raven haired pirate began "you keep mentioning this giant guy…what was his name?" Haredas shrugged.

"He never said it…"

"What did he look like then?" Luffy persisted, his intrigue steadily rising. Haredas once more grasped his beard and stroked it as he thought.

"…Well…he was a large man with bushy hair in what seemed to be a cloak…OH! And I also spotted an oddly shaped hat on the giant's head" the old man remembered with a nod. Luffy gave an inaudible noise to show he understood and he looked back up at the sky.

A giant man in a cloak with long bushy hair and an oddly shaped hat on his head?

Could it be?...

Luffy stopped the thought, shaking his head.

No, it couldn't be…

Plus he really needed to stop thinking so hard about things.

It was starting to hurt his head.

The palace room of Amazon Lily was, as usual, bright and vibrant with colour, even with the fading light around them. Luffy and Nami were both silent under Hancock's questioning stare. Both of them had just relayed the situation to the snake princess, who was obviously getting more annoyed the more complex things became.

"Let me get this straight…" Hancock began, obviously attempted to maintain his composure "Your weather machine went haywire and because of that, the machine created a storm, which you dispersed. After that, that strange man appeared…and you've made a deal with him to repair your device for you…meaning that you want to stay on my island LONGER than we first agreed?" Both Nami and Luffy nodded. Hancock's face immediately became contorted in a mask of rage and she stood up from her throne.

"You've caused chaos on my island, battled my sisters, created a storm, made a deal with magical weather mages, who are now living above us in an INVISIBLE FLOATING ISLAND…and now, you want to stay LONGER THAN WE FIRST AGREED? I believe you are taking advantage of my kindness. GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULD HELP YOU!" the snake princess demanded, an angry scowl across her face. Nami was silent at this command. She knew they were asking too much, but they had no real choice in the matter. She couldn't afford to leave Amazon Lily without a weapon…and if the deal worked, she could probably give the other crew members a shock with how much more capable of fighting she could become. Unbeknownst to Nami, however, Luffy had already acted. He had dropped to his knees and bowed before Hancock, just as he remembered Vivi had once instructed him to.

"Please Hammock" he pleaded "we really need your help. We've got no way of getting off this island and Nami's clima-tact is really important to her. Could you please help us? I promise we'll be good. We'll do anything to make it up to you, I promise…" The raven haired woman was stunned by the man's action. He was once more acting humble, bowing before her. Many other people had done this before…but never had they had this effect on her. Hancock could feel her knees wobbling and shaking, almost as if she was going to lose her footing and fall over. A small red patch of colour entered her cheeks and she began to pant, as if she'd just ran a marathon over the whole island.

"I…I…" the snake princess stuttered, gazing down at Luffy with uncertainty. Luffy looked upwards at her and Hancock almost fainted right then and there from his focused gaze.

"Please…" Luffy murmured, as the pirate empress turned a deep and dark crimson.

"I…I will allow it" Hancock finally replied, turning away from the raven haired pirate.

"Really?" Luffy announced happily "THANK YOU SO MUCH" Hancock felt a small smile on her lips and her chest began to ache…but, strangely, it felt nice. Nami was left speechless by the surprise turn of events and looked at Luffy. Either that boy was the greatest speaker in the world…or he had the luck of the devil. Nami pretty much accepted from that point on that Luffy would never stop surprising her with his skill. The navigator beamed widely as the grin she had become all too familiar with crossed the captain's face.

It was at that moment that Sandersonia burst out of the door at the other end of the room. The eyes of the three people in the room turned to her as the tall green haired woman sprinted across the room. Sandersonia dropped into a kneeling position besides the two straw-hat pirates.

"Forgive me sister but…he was an official. He demanded to be escorted here. Mari is on the way up with him right as we speak" she explained in a rushed and panicked tone.

"Calm down Sandersonia" Hancock instructed, stepping away from the podium her throne was resting on as she went to comfort her sister "Now explain what happened in detail, please"

"Marine" Sandersonia simply replied in a melancholy tone. Hancock's eyes widened and she instantly sprung into action.

"Luffy! Weather witch! Get over there, behind the curtains. Sandersonia, conceal them" the snake princess commanded. Despite an angry murmur about Hancock not learning her name, Nami accepted the advice and grabbed hold of Luffy's hand, pulling the incredibly confused captain behind her. The two slipped behind one of the pink curtains, which Sandersonia pulled the curtain closed. She then slithered over to the other side of the room and repeated the action, making it appear that the curtains being drawn was the usual way the room appeared in an attempt to throw off suspicion. It was just then that the door opened once more. In the doorway stood Marigold and beside her was a rather tall marine. The man had a small dark brown moustache under his nose and had a small brown mohawk on his head. The man wore a light purple and white pinstripe suit and a long flowing naval jacket hung around his shoulders.

"Boa Hancock…" the man announced, his face stern and serious "May we have a talk?"

"No…" Hancock replied angrily, her teeth gritting with rage "I have already told you once…I WILL NOT FIGHT IN THAT WAR OF YOURS! NO MAN SHOULD EVER SET FOOT ON MY ISLAND, LEAVE NOW!" The moustached man was silent for a second and then, slowly, he turned his head, glancing around the room.

"This…is a nice kingdom you have here" he commented "I would sure hate to have to signal a buster call for this" Sandersonia and Marigold gasped at this and Hancock growled. The moustached man smiled as he saw he had made his point and bowed low "I am Vice Admiral Momonga" he introduced himself with a smile "and as a member of the marine core, I must call upon your duty as a warlord of the sea to aid the marines in times of need. You will join our forces…or we will remove your title and this island won't last long without our protection" A loud muffled shout attracted Momonga's attention and he turned to look at one of the pink curtains. The curtain was still and silent. Hancock's eyes glanced towards the same curtain and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"…All right…" she finally replied, admitting defeat "what would you have me do?"

"Don't do it HAMMOCK , KICK THIS MARINE GUY'S ASS!" Luffy tried to yell in protest, only for Nami's hand to keep a firm hold over his mouth.

"Luffy…" the navigator whispered quietly "she has to play along with their game for now. I was here when she was first told about this…war, whatever it is and Nyon said if she refused, the whole island would be in danger. You need to let her do this Luffy" At Nami's soothing words, Luffy stopped his struggling and reluctantly, he nodded.

"Well" Momonga continued, each word sounding to Nami like nails on a chalkboard "It appears that the war has been postponed, due to a freak storm" Luffy and Nami both exchanged a shocked glance but said nothing. They could already guess what Momonga was referring to.

"But, in a few weeks time, after the storm is over, you will accompany me to Marineford to help defend the execution grounds. Will you submit Boa Hancock?" he asked. Nami could tell from the sound of Hancock's breathing behind the curtain that she was mad, probably furious…but what could she do? She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Luffy, however, was becoming more and more intrigued by the conversation. A war? An execution? What did it mean? Why was there going to be a war? Who was going to be executed? How could a single life start a war? Luffy didn't know, but he was becoming more and more determined to find out.

"…Fine…" Hancock concluded bitterly, interrupting Luffy's thoughts "I shall fight in your war" The two pirates could tell Momonga was smiling at her choice from behind the curtain.

"Excellent" the vice admiral said with an unseen smirk "…of course, if I am to report your cooperation, I will need fresh supplies for my ship…and I will need you to unfreeze my men from the stone you encased them in. I was able to pilot the ship here, to Amazon Lily, but a journey back will require your aid" Nami clenched her fists at the request. They were pushing their luck? This Momonga guy was freaking SHUNTING his luck and, no matter what, Hancock couldn't actually refuse to aid him in his efforts.

"Fine…" Hancock repeated in a fit of rage "I shall do as you wish…but in return, you shall leave my kingdom in peace and not return until the designated time when I am to join in your…war…" A shuffle was heard as Momonga nodded.

"Fear not Pirate empress, I shall ensure it. Allow me a nights rest on my ship and then, I hope you will revive my men in the morning…" the vice admiral stated. Another shuffle was heard as Hancock nodded angrily.

"Then it is settled" Momonga announced with glee "I shall return soon and then, you, Boa Hancock, will allow us to escort you to Marineford…to witness the execution of Portgaz D. Ace…"

Luffy froze.

He didn't move.

He didn't breathe.

He didn't even notice as Momonga left the room.

Slowly, Nami turned to him, her eyes wide with surprise and shock.

"Luffy…Ace is?" she began, but Luffy cut her off with a nod. He had wanted to know who would be executed…but now…now he just felt empty.

He shivered and gripped his fists tightly together. Nami noticed Luffy's silence and shuddered at it. The young man's straw hat shaded over his eyes. Luffy reached up a hand towards his mouth and cupped it, in an attempt to keep himself quiet. He knew he couldn't yell. He couldn't shout or scream. Nami had already told him that Momonga could threaten Hancock and he knew that he and Nami couldn't be discovered. Shank often said that there some fights that just aren't worth it…this was one of those times. Luffy remained silent, a hand grabbing and tugging at his raven locks as a way to relieve stress. His orange haired navigator had leaned over and was now embracing him, a sad frown on her face. Her arms were wrapped around Luffy's stomach and she was pulling the boy closer to her, holding him tightly in her arms. Luffy didn't notice the small tears falling from his face and shook his head, as if trying to awaken from a bad dream.

"Ace…what's happened to you?"

* * *

_**To be continued in Chapter 9: Map to the heart**_

_After learning of Ace's imprisonment in Impel Down, Luffy is forced to make decisions on his future actions. Will Luffy continue on to search for his crew? Why is Hancock acting so strange? And how can one little cave on the edge of Amazon Lily be the greatest way for Luffy to rescue Ace? Whatever the choices, it's do or die time, next time on Search the Wind!_

* * *

_**Cover story:?**_

_**Part 3: Strange intruders in Baltigo? Dragon's greatest soldiers?**_

As usual, Baltigo was bustling with activity. Crates and supplies were being loaded and unloaded quickly into ships. Overall, the revolutionary dock on the far western side of the island was working nicely.

Of course, almost all the work stopped when a small wooden boat docked in the bay. The workers froze and even the men who were supervising turned to look at the new comers. Everywhere in the yard, eyes widened as the crew of the small boat were recognised.

"Impossible" one of the men working the docks commented "what are they doing here?"

"Aren't they supposed to be helping with the attack on Tequila Wolf?" another asked in wonder.

"Whatever the reason" one of the supervisors murmured "this means serious business if Lord Dragon sent for the trinity stars at a time like this!"

Ignoring the speculation they had caused on the docks, the three people on the small wooden sail boat disembarked. The first of the ship was carrying a small rope, which he was going to use to tie the boat into port. He was wearing a large black hat with a white stripe along it. A feather stuck out of the hat at one corner. The man looked no more than nineteen or twenty in age but his sly smile gave away the look of an old and clever man, who knew much more than he was letting on. He wore a neat black tuxedo with nothing but a large red bowtie standing out in his appearance. One of his eyes was cold and black as charcoal, whilst the other was obscured by an eye patch. His raven hair merely added to his dark atmosphere. The second person off the boat was female. She had long brown hair and a pair of deep blue eyes to match. It was almost impossible not to notice that she was the most oddest dressed of the three crew members. She was wearing a pale blue kimono with incredibly long sleeves. A purple sash was tied around her waist and the long dress was patterned with what appeared to be swallows. Strangely, a swallow was also perched on her shoulder, its eyes searching the dock for any sign of food. The young woman of eighteen didn't appear to notice the bird on her shoulder and instead, strolled calmly up the ramp into the stone floor of the docks. The last member of the trio was by far the youngest. He looked around seventeen at best and the almost confused look in his eyes also revealed that he wasn't really sure where he was. The boy had messy purple hair, a colour that made him stand out to an extreme degree. His pale green eyes glanced around confused and the boy even raised a hand awkwardly, to wave at the workers. His clothes were pretty standard compared to the other two people, with a bright orange hoodie lined with bright red stripes pattering it along the collar and the sleeves. Underneath, he wore a plain white shirt with a small necklace in the shape of a triangle hanging around his neck. This man was obviously stood out the most out of the three and seemed to be aware of it as he stumbled nervously after his comrades. Luckily, the brown haired girl noticed his distress and slowed her pace to walk alongside him. The older man in front shook his head at the two of them and continued his walk forwards. Eventually, the three of them reached a warehouse building at the other side of the docks. As expected, the large steel door slid upwards and opened. The trio entered the building in a calm stroll, despite the fact that once they were inside, the door closed behind them.

It was quiet.

"Hiroto Nishi" a voice called.

"Yeah" the man in the large black hat replied.

"Kasumi Taka"

"Here" the woman in the kimono responded

"Ren Nishi"

"Present" the man in the orange hoodie said politely. After the three had spoken, the lights in the warehouse turned on, almost blinding the three people.

"Welcome back to Baltigo" a man in a green cloak called from the opposite end of the room as he emerged from the shadows "how did it go?"

"Tequila Wolf is strongly defended" Hiroto revealed, a cocky grin on his face "ships and marines everywhere…let me get in there and I'll kick all of their asses for you Lord Dragon" The man in the green cloak chuckled at the man's confident reply.

"Glad to see you're still as ambitious as ever" Dragon commented with a joyful smile "though if you keep acting like you can take down the marines single handedly, then you're just gonna get filled with bullets…like last time…"  
"Well maybe if the idiot over there hadn't gotten in my way…" Hiroto groaned, turning to look towards Ren with anger.

"You do realise that without Ren's help, you'd be dead right now" Kasumi interrupted. Hiroto pouted at Kasumi's argument and instead, turned towards the other wall.

"Anyway" Ren spoke up, looking towards Dragon with a smile "why did you call us here lord Dragon?" Dragon's reply to this question was merely to grin.

"Well Ren...recent events have come to my attention and because of them, I have decided that you need to take a new direction in our strategy…"

"Tell me, what do you know of a pirate by the name of Whitebeard?"

_**Until then I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.**_

_**Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_****__**Wow! 100 reviews? In that case, this latest chapter is dedicated to everyone who has reviewed Search The Wind to date. Thank you for all your support and I hope you enjoy this chapter**_

* * *

_**Cover story: ?**_

_**Part 4: The stranger in the morning fog, the march to war begins**_

The sun was just slowly rising over the horizon. Gently, the small rays of light fell from the sky, brushing gently against the curtains that covered the windows. In the room, there were two people. One was a woman and she was currently sleeping on a large double bed, whilst the other had just woken up and was sitting on the bed, a hand on his face. He sat there on the duvet, lost in thought for a moment. Slowly, as if his brain was starting to work once more, he stood up from his seat and made his way over to a small pile of clothes on the floor. The man bent down to the floor, grasping a white shirt from the pile in his rough hand. As he stood up, he slipped his arm into the short sleeves on the right side of the shirt. He gave a small sigh as he continued to button up the shirt a little, leaving the top half of his chest exposed. After that was done, the man picked up a pair of flowery pants and slipped them onto each leg. As he did so, his mind still wandered, his thoughts occupied by something else.

It was coming.

He knew it was.

He had warned them but Whitebeard hadn't listened and now, the old man was going to pay the price.

Well, the old man wasn't going to do it alone…not if he had anything to say about it. With a small frown on his face, the man grabbed his usual black cloak and draped it over his shoulder. He didn't have the time or effort to put it on properly. Carefully and silently, the man crept over to the other side of the bed and looked down at the sleeping woman. She looked so peaceful. Gently, he brushed her dark green hair to one side with a finger and bent down, placing a delicate kiss on her forehead. Without a word, the man then stood up and walked towards the door. His hand grabbed the handle and he pulled it down gently, opening the door. For a moment, the man stopped, turning back as the woman stirred slightly. However, almost immediately, the woman relaxed back down onto the bed. Her delicate features indicating she was still asleep.

"Goodbye Makino" the man murmured, before he exited the door. Confidently shutting the door behind them, Red Haired Shanks then turned and strolled away towards the docks. Calmly, he boarded the red force. His booming footsteps alerted the members of the crew that were awake and they immediately set to work. Up on the deck was Benn Beckman, who looked down at his captain with a questioning gaze.

"Where are we going captain?" he asked. Shanks reply was simple. He looked up at Beckman. He gave the man a smile and then he said, in a calm tone.

"To war"

* * *

_**Chapter 9: Map to the heart**_

"EXPLAIN!" Luffy yelled, springing from his hiding place "TELL ME EVERYTHING!" His dark eyes were watering and his bottom lip was quivering. Nami was close behind him, holding Luffy's shoulder. She had done her best to calm him down but the second Momonga had left the room with Sandersonia personally escorting him to a guest house, the raven haired captain had bounded out from behind the curtains, enraged beyond all reason. Hancock turned to Luffy, shocked at his loud and brash display. For a moment, her cheeks flushed of their colour, then, the next second, the colour returned and Hancock gave Luffy a glare.

"EXCUSE ME?" she bellowed. She had been far too patient for far too long. She didn't know why, but this man was making her feel so happy…so at ease that she had almost forgotten she demanded respect. Even now, as she glared at him, her heart beat increased to a loud and complex melody but Hancock pushed these emotions away. This had happened before, at the hot springs. She had fallen into the emotion's trap then. Now, however, she was not going to give into that feeling.

"ACE!" the raven haired teen shouted back at her "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ACE? HE SAID THERE WAS AN EXECUTION! WHERE? WHEN? WHY?" The bombardment of questions finally allowed Hancock to ignore the tight clenching of her chest.

"EXCUSE ME? YOU ARE A GUEST HERE IN MY HOME. HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME WITH SUCH DISRESPECT!" Hancock shouted, ignoring the small red tints to her cheeks. Nami, however, quickly stepped in front of Luffy.

"Please forgive him!" Nami pleaded, putting her hands together "Ace is his brother! Please tell him about Ace!" Hancock's eyes widened to an extreme degree and she looked down towards the raven haired man who stood before her.

"Please" Luffy mumbled, tears threatening to break out once more "he's my brother and I want to help him…" Hancock once more felt a great force pulling against her chest but she once more shook it off before sighing sadly.

"Portgas D. Ace is your brother?" she asked with deep sorrow in her voice. Luffy nodded "I apologise then…"

"Portgas D. Ace was captured by the newest recruitment to the warlords of the sea. His name is Marshall D. Teach, though he is better known under the alias…of Blackbeard" Hancock explained.

"Blackbeard?" Nami mumbled, before looking towards Luffy "wasn't that the guy Ace went looking for because he betrayed Whitebeard?" Luffy ignored Nami's question, gritting his teeth and staring at the floor.

"Ace…would not lose to someone else…" Luffy managed to mutter form behind his rage "Ace is too strong. Ace wouldn't be beaten so easily by a bastard traitor like that Blackbeard guy…"

"I have not met this Blackbeard" Hancock continued "but I have heard rumours that he is quite powerful…"  
"THEN THE RUMOURS ARE WRONG!" Luffy interrupted with a loud shout "ACE COULDN'T LOSE TO ANYONE!" Suddenly realising his rude behaviour, Luffy quickly hung his head, mumbling a small apology. Despite the feeling of rage creeping over Hancock, the pirate empress remained silent and nodded in understanding.

"As you must have heard, he is being executed at Marineford in one month's time. It was to be sooner, but I believe your weather witch…"  
"Nami" The navigator corrected. Hancock scowled at the orange haired woman but, never the less, she continued.

"Nami…had something to do with that. My guess is that the freak storm was created by that contraption of yours. The magic wand thing"

"Clima-tact" Nami corrected once more, to Hancock's irritation.

"Whatever it is…it must have somehow caused the storm to spread over the entire ocean, sending it on a path to Marineford. Because of this, the execution has been delayed" the pirate empress finished.

"Where's Marineford?" Luffy asked in a demanding tone.

"You're not planning on going there are you?" Hancock questioned back, surprised by Luffy's determination.

"My brother's there" Luffy argued "would you try and stop it if it was one of your sister's executions?" Hancock paused for a moment, rather shocked at the thought.

"…it is too late to be speaking about this" Hancock muttered, leaning further back into her throne "It has been a long day and I am sure that you two are both quite tired right now…trust me, I am. Will it be alright for you two to go to sleep now and we'll discuss this further in the morning?"

"NO!" Luffy protested angrily "THIS IS ABOUT ACE, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS NOW!"

"Luffy…we have a month to the execution" Nami said, supportively resting a hand on Luffy's shoulder "it's best that we rest up so we can think about this clearly, we don't want to be rushing into this…"

"WHAT IF IT WAS NOJIKO?" Luffy yelled, suddenly turning on her "WOULD YOU STILL WAIT UNTIL MORNING?"

"I would if I was as sleepy as you" Nami mumbled, refraining from rubbing her own eyes as they seemed to way heavily downward.

"WHAT? I'M FINE!" Luffy persisted, resisting the sudden urge to yawn "WE NEED TO ACT NOW!"  
"We have time to discuss this later Luffy" Hancock responded with a sigh "Get some rest now though…you need it…"

"I'M NOT…" Luffy started to complain, before Nami nudged him with her shoulder, causing him to almost fall over. As he lost balance, Nami pulled him back allowing him to rest his head on her shoulder.

"Luffy…" Nami whispered gently in his ear "I know this is important to you and trust me, I want to save Ace as much as you do…but look how tired you are! Look at how beaten and bruised you are right now! You can barely stand on your own. If we want to rescue Ace and, as you said, go to Marineford, IT WON'T BE AS EASY AS BREAKING INTO EINES LOBBY TO FREE ROBIN!"

"But…we saved her didn't we? Eines Lobby had an army there and elite agents but…but we beat back all of them and saved Robin. We should be able to do this easily…"

"We had an army too" Nami reminded him "The Franky family helped us. Without them, rescuing Robin would have been almost impossible. Also, we can't forget what happened with you and Lucci"

"I beat him" Luffy yelled defiantly.

"And lost all ability to move in the process!" Nami exclaimed, gripping her captain's shoulder "Look, Luffy. At Marineford, a lot of the marines there will be as strong, if not stronger, than Lucci was. Kizaru and Kuma from the Archipelago are the kind of people we're going to meet at Marineford. This time Luffy, blunt force won't win the day. If you want to rescue Ace, we have to think about this, plan carefully. If we don't, we'll do Ace more harm than good. It'd be better to rest now." Luffy was silent at this. For a while, he just stood there, locked in a staring contest with the floor. Eventually, Luffy sighed loudly and looked up Nami.

"…Promise we'll talk about this tomorrow…" He mumbled wearily. Nami nodded.

"It'd be best if we took time to think about what we're going to do next" she said to him with a smile "After all, we've got to think about our options. We have to save Ace…but we also need to think about meeting up with our crew again as well and all of our other immediate goals" Luffy's eyes widened with understanding at Nami's words and he nodded reluctantly.

"Let's…let's just go to bed" he groaned. Nami nodded in return, looking towards Hancock with a smile. The empress was rather unsure how to react to this. Eventually, Hancock chose to ignore the tickling feeling inside her chest and smiled back.

"Marigold!" she yelled, alerting her sister who was waiting at the door "show Luffy and Nami to a guest room" The large orange haired woman nodded, beginning to lead the two pirates away from the royal throne room. When they were finally out of sight, Hancock's composure dropped immediately and the snake princess clutched desperately at her head. She was sweating and her temperature was through the roof. What was happening to her? This had only started after she had noticed how different she was acting around Luffy and had tried to stop it. Every part of her body was aching, as if a great strain had been placed upon it. Why was she in some much pain? Hancock shook her head and groaned at the sudden whiplash. She just needed rest, it was obvious. With a small groan, the snake princess pushed herself up off of her throne, staggering slightly, before walking over towards her bedroom.

Little did Hancock know, her problems were only just beginning…

* * *

"Here are your rooms" Marigold announced, opening a large red set of doors. As Nami followed, she gasped loudly, stunned by what she could see. The guest room looked almost as pristine and regal as the main throne room. The walls were still covered in the golden colour she had become accustomed to seeing around the palace. The crimson pillars from the throne room were also decorating the corners of the room and around the bed there were light pink drapes which Nami had also spotted in the throne room.

Wait a minute?

Nami did a quick double take.

Something was wrong.

The red pillars?

No, they were alright.

The golden coloured wall?

Still no

The bed?  
No, it looked quite comfortable with the pillows fluffed nicely and the light white sheets were warm and inviting.

The drapes?

No, it wasn't…wait…

The bed…

Bed?

Bed as in the singular form of 'beds'

It was then that the facts of the situation clicked fully into Nami's head.

There was only one bed in the room.

Luffy and her were expected to sleep in the same bed.

"Er…this is our room?" Nami mumbled. Marigold nodded "are you…are you sure there isn't another one available?" Marigold's kind smile dropped slowly from her face.

"You don't like it?"

"No, no, no" Nami insisted "it's not that…it's just…the bed..."  
"It looks comfy" Luffy mumbled, looking up at Nami.

"The bed isn't the problem!" the navigator reasoned "it's just that…there's only one…"

"Don't be greedy Nami" Luffy mumbled, walking over to the bed before falling onto it. Nami growled loudly at Luffy's comment. Marigold glanced between the two, before shrugging.

"What's wrong?" the giant woman asked a look of confusion on her face.

"He's my captain…" Nami whispered into Marigold's ear "It…it just seems awkward doing this…"

"When we were children, Sandersonia and I used to sleep in the same bed to save space. I don't see why this is so different" Marigold responded, tilting her head a little at how hesitant Nami was acting.

"Sandersonia was your family AND she wasn't a man OR the captain of your ship" Nami pointed out, reluctantly turning to look at Luffy "I'm…I'm just not sure about this…"  
"Even if you feel uncomfortable about this, I suggest you still go through with it" Marigold advised, causing Nami to turn to look at her in shock "after all, from what I heard something horrible is happing to his brother am I correct?" Nami nodded "In times of doubt and sorrow, everyone needs someone to lean on. Luffy needs someone with him right now. He needs you to keep him strong" Nami was silent at this for a moment before nodding.

"I suppose you're right. Thanks Mari" Marigold's eyes widened slightly at Nami calling her by her nickname but after a moment, she smiled.

"You're welcome Nami. I wish you luck. If it helps, you could keep your clothes on to make things less awkward" the large woman said, turning around and exiting the room. As the door shut, Nami turned around, looking towards Luffy. The straw-hat captain was currently lying on the bed, his eyes glued to the ceiling. With a small sigh, Nami stepped cautiously over to him and without a word, lay down next to him on the bed.

For a moment, silence encompassed the two; one so strong and deadly that neither spoke in fear that the fragile silence was going to be broken. It was quite a turbulent silence as well. Sometimes, Nami would feel quite content just lying beside Luffy, watching the same spot on the ceiling that had caught her captain's gaze. Other times, she realised the situation and the awkward hesitation returned to her in an instant. Luffy didn't really seem concerned by her presence. He just seemed a lot quieter than Nami would have expected. Was this always what Luffy was like when he was sad?

Yes, of course it was.

Luffy rarely cried in front of others. She had remembered how he had been after the fight with Usopp. It was really just like now, quiet in thought, as if in mourning. Nami instantly shook the thought out of her head.

She didn't want to think about death especially considering Ace's situation.

"Nami" the whisper of her name brought the navigator back to her senses.

"Yeah?" she replied, turning slightly to catch sight of Luffy from the corner of her eye.

"You could go to sleep if you want" Luffy said.  
"I will in a bit" Nami reassured him, a small smile brushing her lips "I'm just thinking"  
"What about?" Luffy asked, turning his head to fully face her. She could see Ace's condition was troubling Luffy from the look on his face. He was most likely trying to get his mind off the subject.

"Just…about things"

"Such as?"

"Shouldn't you be going to sleep as well?" Nami suggested, dodging the subject "After all, you took most of the damage in that fight today"  
"I will in a bit" Luffy replied, making Nami grimace at how he repeated her own words.

"Luffy…you've got to stop being so stubborn. We all need to rest" Nami mumbled.

Luffy didn't reply.

"Luffy, you won't have the energy to save Ace if you don't…" Instantly, Nami stopped speaking, grabbing her mouth with a hand. Ace was obviously going to be a tender subject for him "Luffy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up"

Luffy didn't say anything.

"Luffy, I didn't mean it like that. Of course you'll save Ace…I just want you to get some rest."  
Luffy was once more quiet. Nami felt a sudden wave of guilt wash over her. Had she insulted his pride? Was he mad at her?  
"Luffy, I'm…"  
A loud snore interrupted her before she could continue. Suddenly, Nami found herself shaking and she leaned over to look at Luffy. The raven haired man was sleeping, curled up on the bed and snoring softly. This didn't last for long, however, as Luffy rolled over to face Nami, drool coming out of his mouth and a snot bubble coming out of his nose. For a moment, Nami lay there in disbelief.

Then her teeth began to grind together.

Her shaking of hesitation became shuddering with rage as she glared at Luffy's sleeping face.

"IDIOT!" she bellowed, punching Luffy straight in the face, sending the sleeping man rolling off of the bed. As he hit the floor, the snot bubble broke and Luffy jumped up.

"NO MR CATERPILLAR! THAT WAS MY MEAT!" he yelled, looking around in a panic. Quickly, he recovered, noticing an irritated Nami watching him.

"Oh hey Nami, is it morning yet?" he asked with a smile. Nami growled angrily in reply, rolling over in irritation.

"Just get back into bed and go to sleep" she told him angrily. Luffy remained still for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and jumping back into bed.

"Okay then, night Nami"  
"Night Luffy" the navigator replied with a yawn. Luffy chuckled quietly to himself and then rested his head on the pillow.

The sooner he fell asleep, the sooner he could talk to Hancock in the morning about rescuing Ace.

And he was going to rescue him no matter what, even if he had Hancock's help or not…

Suddenly, Luffy's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden image. His crew. They were lost...Luffy let out a sigh and as he closed his eyes his mind wandered once more towards his crew.

"Sorry guys" Luffy thought "We're taking a little detour…please wait for us..."

* * *

The following morning, Nami's awakening wasn't exactly what she had expected. Carefully, her eyes opened delicately. It was took her a short time before she actually became fully aware of her surroundings. First, she realised that the room was just being illuminated by the sunlight that was shining through a small window she hadn't noticed the night before. The second thing Nami noticed was that there was something holding her. Whoever or whatever the person was they were holding her tightly, pressing her against their chest. Nami wondered for a moment if she was dreaming. She had to be, right? Curiously, her gaze shifted to the person next to her. Sleeping next to her with a wide smile on his face was Luffy. Realising that she was currently an inch from Luffy's face, Nami felt her face suddenly go red. Luffy was lying next to her…with his arms around her waist. This simple fact was in Nami's mind but

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE PUTTING YOUR HANDS IDIOT!" she shrieked, punching Luffy straight in the middle of his face. The force of the punch sent Luffy flying out of bed into the nearby wall. Luffy let out a loud groan as he nursed his sorehead.  
"Well good morning to you too" he mumbled, grinning up at Nami, who was still blushing a bright red, despite the fact she was glaring at him "are you going to wake me up like that every morning?"  
"As long as I keep waking up with you using me as a teddy bear then yes" Nami replied, quickly heaving herself out of bed as memories flooded back into her head "so, what do you want to do now?" Suddenly remembering their current situation himself, Luffy sprung to his feet.

"We need to talk to Hancock" he said, grabbing Nami's arm and heading towards the door.

"What if she's asleep?"  
"Then we'll wake her up then" Luffy said defiantly. Nami allowed Luffy to pull her along for a moment and then, she shrugged.

"Well when you say it like that, it sounds simple" Nami muttered, before obediently following Luffy along back to the throne room.

It had surprised Nami that there were absolutely no guards on duty. Last time she had been brought in here, Hancock had her own personal army patrolling and defending the palace. However, today, there wasn't even a fly around. All of this made sense, however, very quickly when Nami and Luffy approached the royal throne room. All of the guards and even quite a few citizens were lining up outside of the throne room beginning to be let in. Currently, Ran and Daisy were keeping the group at bay, demanding they calm down. Nami's curiosity couldn't be higher by the time she and Luffy had finally pushed their way through the crowd, reaching the red closed doors.

"What's going on?" Nami asked as she walked up.

"Weather witch!" Daisy yelled, her eyes widening when she saw Nami. A smile grew on Daisy's face as she turned to Ran "maybe the weather witch could help?" Ran, however, greeted the two much more coldly than Daisy had. She glared at the two as they approached and gave Daisy a very sceptical look.

"Daisy…she's a weather witch. Her spells manipulate the weather, they don't heal and for all we know, she could have done this" Ran murmured.

"What's wrong?" Luffy spoke up, noticing how paranoid everyone was being with Nami "We want to speak to Hancock"  
"How dare you demand such things for our princess in her time of illness!"

"Illness?" Nami mumbled "what do you mean illness?" For a moment, Ran seemed reluctant to say anymore, but then, after a small hesitation, she sighed and looked towards Nami.

"Our princess…" Ran began with her voice a mere whisper of fear "has collapsed from an unknown disease…"

* * *

Elder Nyon was having trouble remaining calm. Usually, whenever the empress was ill or indecisive on some matter, it was up to her to take over and guide the kingdom to safety. Now, she could hardly stand. Her whole body was shaking with an unknown sense of dread and fear. It had been horrible. As soon as sun had rose, Hancock had rose with it, remembering her agreement with Momonga the following night. She had revived his crew and without another word, she had sent the vice admiral on his way. As he left, the man had of course shouted warnings to Hancock of what would happen if she did not actually follow up her end of the deal. He threatened buster calls, invasions and even a complete genocide campaign against the island if her warlord status was revoked. Nyon didn't know whether or not Momonga was just making idle threats or whether he was promising future events but one thing was for sure, the marines would definitely act if the island was not protected by Hancock's status. As soon as the marine ship was out of sight, Hancock had started to walk back towards her palace…only to fall to the ground, shocking all present. Sandersonia and Marigold had helped her back to the palace and now there was a crowd outside, demanding to know of their princess' fate. Nyon could understand their concern. She would admit that Hancock was a brat and a pain in the rear…but the pirate empress was HER brat and HER pain in the rear. She loved the snake princess like a daughter and now, seeing Hancock in such a state was making her heart break. Hancock's skin glowed a bright red and her breathing was erratic. Sweat was dripping from her brow and her hand was clutching at her chest, with her heart's beating now odd and irregular. There was no doubt that she was in tremendous pain. Hancock was even mumbling 'it hurts' over and over again as she clutched at her chest. Nyon just didn't know what to make of it. What could be wrong with her? Belladonna had kindly come up to the palace in an attempt to stabilise the princess' condition but to no avail. Hancock's entire body was in flux, as if very body was trying to rip itself apart. Nyon just couldn't think what was wrong, even when all eyes in the room turned to her.

"I…I wish I cyould identify this cyonditiyon…but I cyannot. It seems familiar…but…I can't…my memory! It isn't what it used to be…" Nyon mumbled mournfully, scratching her head. Marigold and Sandersonia looked at their sister's body with a sad frown and sighed.

"What shall we do?" Sandersonia asked. Nyon couldn't reply. She was thinking. This was so familiar…but she couldn't think. Everything was too loud. Angrily, Nyon turned to the door to the throne room. The sounds of shouting outside had gotten even louder. She couldn't work under this pressure.

"Enyishida" Nyon said, looking towards the blonde servant in the room. Enishida nodded, stepping forwards.

"What do you need?"  
"Pyeace and quiet" Nyon replied "go outside and tell those outside to keep the noise down" Enishida nodded once more, running out of the room. Nyon stood where she was for a moment, listening for the sound outside to quiet down. It did not and it actually seemed to grow louder. Nyon let out a low growl. Why couldn't things go her way? With an angry sigh, Nyon turned around and began walking towards the exit to the throne room. Marigold and Sandersonia watched her go with confusion in their eyes. Nyon reached the large doors and pushed them open. As soon as she exited, questions bombarded her and the noise grew louder.

"CYAN YOU ALL SHYUT UP?" Nyon bellowed angrily. The noise immediately stopped and Nyon sighed.

"Gyood" she said happily, glancing around the area. There was a sea of women watching her. To her left, she also noticed the boy and his navigator looking towards her as well.

Immediately, Nyon froze.

The boy and his navigator…

The boy…

Who was she kidding?

The MAN and his navigator.

Suddenly, everything made so much sense.

"EXCUSE ME!" she yelled loudly, sprinting back into the throne room, leaving a confused crowd watching her leave.

Marigold and Sandersonia were just as confused when Nyon appeared again beside Hancock with a face full of shock and surprise.

"Of cyourse!" the old woman said with a smile "why didn't I think of it before?"

"Think of what before Elder Nyon?" Marigold asked "have you found out why our sister is ill…"  
"This morning…" Nyon muttered quietly, interrupting Marigold. At the words, Hancock began to writhe in agony, letting out a moan of pain. Nyon's eyes widened.

"Cyould it be?" she muttered, before continuing on.

"Mon…" At the sound, Hancock let out another scream.  
"Lu…" Hancock arched her back in pain, shaking and shuddering. Her fever had gotten worse.

"SNAKE PRINCESS!" Belladonna yelled at the sign of Hancock in pain.

"Elder Nyon, stop teasing her!" Sandersonia demanded.

"You're making her suffer even more!" Marigold agreed with a scowl.

"Teasing her?" Nyon mumbled "I'm not teasing her at all" Marigold and Sandersonia were immediately stunned into silence.

"I thyink I knyow what this is nyow" Nyon continued, holding her forehead in her hand "Dyamn this vyirus for stryiking now of all myoments!"

"Elder Nyon…" Hancock panted, looking at the old woman with a pair of faded blue eyes "am…am I going to die?"  
"Yes" Nyon replied calmly. Marigold and Sandersonia immediately paled and began yelling.

"What the hell are you saying!" Marigold yelled.

"Quit making stupid jokes Elder Nyon!" Sandersonia agreed.

"The previous empress died of this disease" Nyon admitted, silencing the room "as did the one before her. In fact, I two had this disease at one point in time, so I left the kingdom and I survived"

"How can we allow our sister to survive as well?" Sandersonia asked nervously.

"Monkey D. Luffy" Nyon muttered. At the name, Hancock immediately sprang up, her hair was a mess and she was still red, but she was definitely alive.

"Luffy? Where? Where's Luffy? Is he here? Is Luffy here?" Hancock yelled, volleying question after question to the old woman.

"Outside" Nyon said "he wishes to talk to you about the execution of Portgas D. Ace"

All Hancock heard, however, was 'outside' as immediately, she started running out towards the door at full tilt, leaving Marigold and Sandersonia happy at her sudden recovery, but also very confused. Nyon remained where she was, massaging the ridge of her nose with two fingers.

"Myonkey D Luffy, you really do hyave the luck of the dyevil!" Nyon muttered "you have myoved the myountain that many have tryied to but all have fyailed"

* * *

Hancock's exit of the throne room was greeted with cheers, not that she cared. She was focused on her goal. Standing there with the weather witch was Luffy. He turned to her as she came out and smiled. She blushed. Was her hair okay? Was she suitably dressed? Oh my, she wasn't suitable now was she?

Despite all these questions, Hancock went over to Luffy, twirling a finger through her hair as she did so.

"You had something you wanted Luffy?" she asked with a smile. Oh he was so cute. The way he had that scar under his left eye and the way his voice sounded. It was strong and determined. Her knees were going weak.

"Hancock!" her shining knight said with his usual grin "are you okay now?"

"I can't be beaten by a mere illness" Hancock replied. Luffy liked strong girls right?

"That's good" he said with a grin.

"We need to talk" someone said out of her field of vision. Whoever it was, it sounded ugly and repulsive…not like Luffy…

"Not now weather witch!" the snake princess demanded, her eyes never leaving Luffy "what do YOU want Luffy?" Luffy seemed taken aback by the statement, but never the less, smiled. This was going easier than he thought.

"Well…I was wondering if you could take us along to that war so we can go rescue Ace" Luffy said with a grin.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled, pulling her captain's ear "you can't just go demanding things like that!"  
"Okay"  
" I mean after all" Nam continued "we have to understand that she rules an entire kingdom and she needs to protect that"

"I'll take you to Ace"

"Let's not forget" Nami went on "we need to be cautious about planning to save Ace. We can't just…wait, what did you say?" Nami finally turned to look at Hancock, who was still staring at Luffy.

"I said okay" Hancock continued with a smile "I'll follow you anywhere Luffy!"

There was a long pause.

"Cool…can we have some breakfast then?"

"Of course Luffy!" Hancock replied, swooning at the thought of making Luffy so happy.

* * *

Sandersonia and Marigold were literally at a loss for words. They couldn't speak a word and Hancock would hear no word of argument from them if they could. She was going to take Luffy (and Nami) to rescue Ace when Momonga arrived in a month's time to take her to the execution by sneaking them on the ship. In the meantime, Luffy (and Nami) would learn the basics of Haki and train, allowing them to be well prepared to fight their way through Impel Down when the time came. In that time, Luffy (and Nami) would stay in their palace guest room as Hancock's special guests (though she insisted, whilst glaring at Nami, that they find the two separate rooms later on, with Luffy's being near to her and Nami's being nearest to the execution arena just in case) and would be treated with respect and care. Finally, Hancock concluded by saying that they were now going to have breakfast and Luffy was going to sit next to her, whilst Nami would sit as far away from him as possible…unfortunately, Luffy had argued he wanted Nami by his side and so Hancock (whilst turning a deep red) had allowed it, as long as Luffy remained 'faithful'…whatever that meant…

To say the two snake sisters were shocked was an understatement. They were absolutely flabbergasted at what Hancock had told them and what she had planned. No-one seemed to argue and no-one seemed to really care but Marigold and Sandersonia were wondering why their sister had agreed to such a demand to an outsider so quickly. It was so confusing to them that they decided to confront Nyon about the matter. Nyon obviously knew what was going on with their sister's behaviour so she could tell them all the advice they needed. Whilst breakfast was being served and Hancock was watching Luffy eating away with a smile, Sandersonia and Marigold snuck out of the room and headed back towards the throne room. Elder Nyon was just leaving the throne room when Sandersonia and Marigold found her.

"Elder Nyon!" Sandersonia called, spotting the old woman walking away. Seeing the two approaching, Elder Nyon turned to them, looking at the two quite quizzically.

" Whyat is it?" she asked "I dyon't have all day"

"You never did tell us what was wrong with sister. Tell me, is she alright?"  
"If she follows that man" Nyon replied "she'll be fine. The problem is that Hancock…is in love"  
"Love?" Marigold asked in confusion.

"Thyat is correct" Nyon responded "The snake princess has fallen to a dyisease known as Love sickness. It has claimed the life of many past empresses who fell to the 'love-burn'. There is a saying from the Eyast Blue that adyequately describes what our princess is gyoing through"  
"A saying?" Marigold and Sandersonia murmured. Nyon nodded.

"You see…love…is always A HYURRICANE!" the old woman announced with out stretched arms. The two sisters gasped loudly…however, Nyon did not seem perturbed by her own dramatic announcement and began walking away.

"So…if she follows Luffy, she'll live?" Marigold asked.

"Thyat is true" Nyon replied.

"So…you fell in love with a man as well Elder Nyon?" Nyon froze. Marigold immediately covered her sister's mouth but the damage had already been done.

"Elder Nyon, I…" Sandersonia began.

"Yes…yes I did…" Nyon interrupted sadly. With a soft sigh, Nyon closed her eyes tightly as once more, she remembered.

"And what a man to fall for…"

* * *

"_Roger" At the sound of his name, the man turned around, a wide grin on his face with a bright red sunset behind him. He was young, definitely a little younger than she was. His trusty straw-hat was stuck on his head and his raven locks were messy and unkempt. He was quite the looker…even with that ridiculous moustache that was beginning to form above his lips._

"_Gluriopa!" he yelled happily._

"_It's Gloriosa" she corrected him with a smile. Nyon had to admit she looked quite different back then. Her hair wasn't the faded greyish pink she had now but it was a bright and shimmering pink and her face was smooth back then, without the scars and the wrinkles that she had received in the following years. She was, for lack of a better word, beautiful "Is it true that you are leaving our island soon?"  
"Yep" Roger replied, that smile she remembered so fondly on his lips "it's been fun meeting you though. I hope I'll get to see you again on the open seas"  
"Roger" she had called, interrupting him "if…if you're leaving, then…I have something I want to tell you…" Roger's eyes widened at her face but never the less, he smiled._

"_Okay then, what is it?"  
"I…I l-love you…" At the words, she noticed that Roger's face paled immediately._

"_W-what?" he asked. She hadn't given him another chance to speak, leaning forwards and kissing him on the lips. The instant their lips touched, however, Roger recoiled away, gently pushing her away as well._

_That was when she knew…_

_He didn't love her…not like that anyway…_

"…_Gloriosa…" Roger had muttered, finally getting her name right "I…I like you, I do. You're a good friend and you're amazing…but…"  
"You love someone else?" she finished the sentence for him._

"_You could say that" Roger said with an awkward chuckle "I think my one true love is the sea, you know?"_

"_I know about Rouge" Roger's face immediately turned pale and after a while, it started going red._

"_You…you know, huh?" Roger finally muttered, his smile now more hesitant._

"_She's lucky…and so are you…"she had replied "I wish you luck on your voyage" With that, she had stood up and headed away from the cliff where Roger was now sat. However, she eventually halted, turning back around to catch one last look at him._

"_I…I hope she makes you happy…but I won't give up you know…"  
"I know" Roger replied "and I respect that" Those were the last words they had said to each other. Roger had left in the morning. He was never one to say goodbye. He thought of it as a bad omen and she had hoped to meet him on the sea…_

_She had abandoned the kingdom she loved to search for the man she loved…_

_A man who did not love her…_

_A man who had broke her heart…_

_But a man who was so kind and considerate enough to respect her that she just couldn't bring herself to hate him…_

* * *

"Elder Nyon…" Nyon's head shot up at the voice. It was Sandersonia. Of course it was.

"I'm okay" she muttered "just…remembering…" Sandersonia decided not to probe any deeper and allowed Nyon to drop the subject.

"Tell Luffy and Nami that, if they wish, I will be waiting for them to begin their Haki training on the other side of the island. Ask Margaret to bring them to the Serpent Shrine" the old woman said.

"The Serpent Shrine?" Sandersonia whispered in awe.

"Are you sure?" Marigold asked. Nyon nodded.

"If the boy wants to save his brother, I will have to teach him and, with only a month to do it, I'll need all the help I can get…" she replied making her way out of the palace.

* * *

About an hour later, the two had finally arrived for the start of their training. Nyon had opened one of her eyes, snapping out of her meditation at the sound of the pirates approaching. Of course, Luffy had been the first up the stairs. He was always so energetic. Nyon noticed that he had changed the clothes he wore. Instead of the green shirt he had been so happy to wear yesterday, he was now wearing a blue shirt with a pair of dark shorts. It become apparent to Nyon at that moment that all of Luffy's clothes were essentially the same basic outfit but with different colours each time. At least the navigator was more fashionable. The orange haired woman was now wearing something that, from what she could tell, Margaret had let her borrow. She was wearing a fur bikini top and a long white skirt. She was also wearing a pair of sandals. The two were followed by Margaret, who was wearing a red poncho shirt and a short skirt.

"Hello Elder Nyon" Margaret said with a large smile as she approached. Nyon smiled back at her warmly. Ever since her return to the village, Margaret had been a member of the Kuja tribe who Nyon had grown quite fond of. She was only a child when Nyon had returned from her disgrace but the two had quickly become firm friends. Margaret was also one of the few people in the village who knew the location of the Serpent Shrine. Luffy and Nami would now have to be added to that number of course.

Luffy and Nami's reaction to the shrine had been the same. They had entered it with a loud gasp of wonder and amazement. It was absolutely beautiful. The whole area around the shrine was nothing but a large cluster of intricate ruins. The trees dared not to come near the group of ruins, almost as if the forest itself feared something present in the ruins. The stone was old and some of the ruins themselves were falling apart. Not all of the ruins were dilapidated though. The Serpent Shrine, for one, had been kept pristine and beautiful. Gentle pools of cool and calming water surrouned the shrine on all sides, making the shrine seem like an island in the middle of a small pond. All of the structures in the shrine were made of stone and in the centre of the shrine, there were three stone snake statues. Nyon sat calmly under these statues, waiting for Luffy and Nami to approach from the steps leading out of the ruins. As the two walked closer, Nyon nodded to them.

"Wyelcome" she said "please syit" Both Luffy and Nami did as she had said, sitting down on the hard stone pathway leading to the shrine "so, you wyish to learn Haki do you?" Nami and Luffy nodded.

"To be honest, Nami came up with the idea" Luffy said, nudging his navigator with a smile "she's really smart when it comes to this sort of thing and she wanted to learn more about it"

"We were almost beaten by Sandersonia and Marigold when they used their haki" Nami explained "I really want to know what this Haki is and what it does…"

"Interesting" Nyon mumbled "so you myerely want to learn about it for the sake of cyuriosity and because you have time to wyaste?" Nami and Luffy nodded together.

"If we could learn about it, it might help us in rescuing Ace" Luffy explained "we might be able to use it…whatever it actually is…" Nyon chuckled at his answer.

"I can tyell you this quite hyonestly Luffy" the old woman began with a smile "if you don't lyearn how to use Haki, I can gyuarantee that you will not ryescue Ace before his exyecution" Luffy and Nami's eyes shot wide open at this "I believe you have enycountered an admiral before, right"

"That Kizaru bastard…" Luffy muttered.

"Exactly" Nyon replied "he will be at Myarineford for the exyecution as well as two other admirals, a battaylion of vice admirals, a group of giant marine oyfficers and the fleet admiral himself. You will be outcylassed myassively by these fyorces. Impel Down will have dyefences simyilar to this and I can enysure that you will not be able to beat them without the strength of Haki"  
"Well…what does Haki do then?" Nami asked, her face full of confusion. Nyon gave a sigh.

"Very wyell then. I shall explain to you the byasics of Haki" Nyon replied, pausing for a moment before continuing "Haki has been called myany things over the years. Some know it as ambition. Others known it as wyillpower or intent. Whatever it is called, there is onye constant however. This constant is that it can only be accyessed by those who are strong of fyaith and strong of will. On this island, there is a tale we tell our children when they are trying to learn about Haki in order to help them unyderstand. I hope it shall help you unyderstand as well…"

* * *

_"A long time ago, when the heavens and the earth were first formed three water snakes found their way into the middle of the calm belt. They were on par with seakings in their size. Buso, the oldest serpent sister, wished to remain in the calm belt as it was a nice home and she saw the calmbelt as a place where she could use her great powers of pure might over the other seakings to protect her family. She preferred this as she loved fighting. Kenbun, the youngest serpent, was arrogant and wanted to see the world, having great knowledge and wanting to live on land where it was safe, instead of in the ocean. Eventaully, the time came when Kenbun decided to leave. Of course, Buso wanted to protect her family and refused to let her sister leave. Kenbun did not step back down and the two ended up fighting. It was only when the middle sister, Hao, spoke up did the two reconcile. Hao understood both of them and had a great power over her sisters, due to the fact that she was the leader of the family. Eventually, she created a compromise. Together, the three serpents created Amazon Lily as a testament to their unity, an island where Kenbun could live on land, Buso could live in the ocean and Hao, in the quiet and serene mountains in perfect peaceful balance."_

* * *

"From these three syerpents, we get the nyames of the styles of Haki. The oldest sister, Buso, comes from the type of 'Busoshoku Haki', in other words, the colour of armaments, due to Buso's gryeat pyower. Kenbun's name comes from 'Kenbunshoku Haki', due to Kenbun's great knyowledge and abilities of prediction, the colour of observation. Hao's name comes from 'Haoshoku Haki' as the users of Haoshoku Haki have the power of intyimidation, the colour of the cyonquerer" Nyon finished with a sigh, pointing towards the snake statues nearby "That is Haki"

There was a long pause.

"So…Haki does what exactly?" Luffy asked.

"WEREN'T YOU LISTENING?" Nyon yelled angrily.

"Well, to be honest, I didn't get it either really…" Nami mumbled "the story was kinda entertaining…but it didn't really tell us anything about Haki"

"Okay" Nyon said with another sigh "there are three types of Hakim three colours, the colour of observation, which allows you to dyetect other life forms as well as gyiving you the ability to predict another's actions. Then, there is the colour of armaments, which gives the user a sort of spyiritual armour, making most attacks useless except for those of great syignificant physical force. It can also make devil fruit powers useless. In other words, Nami cyould pyunch you over the head Luffy, and you would actually feel hyurt by it"  
"To be fair, that's the same as usual" Luffy mumbled "Nami's really tough"  
"Yes BEYCAUSE she is using Colour of armaments Haki wyithout her knyowledge" Nyon explained " Those two types of Haki can be used by anyone as long as they have a styrong enyough will pyower but the final type can only be pyossibly accessed by a few people, literally only one in a myillion have the ability to use such a Haki. This Haki is only one that you can use Luffy, the colour of the conqueror. It acts as a way of intyimidating those who are weak"

"You mean like I did back in the arena…" Luffy mumbled, remembering how he had stunned the crowd, causing many to faint.

"Yes" Nyon replied "now you are aware of your Haki power, it will make things much easier…though training your Haki skill will be tough but, I shall rise to the challenge, nyo?" Luffy nodded with a wide smile.

"So, if we know Haki, HOW do we get better at it?"  
"Thyat is why you are here" Nyon announced with a smile "the shrine of the serpents is a magical place. It is fabled that if you bathe in its waters and train under the watchful eyes of the three serpents, then you shall master Haki quicker. I don't know if this is true myself but it is worth a try right. Plus, it is the only way you'll get a grasp of Haki in time before you leave to Ace's execution. So really, this is your only chance to learn Haki"

"Well we'll have to get to it then" Luffy announced with a grin.

"Not just yet" Nyon commanded, gesturing to Luffy "there is also a way here on this island to unlock the ability to control your conqueror's Haki…but…like the other methods, it's not entirely practical. Hancock would not even go through the training it was so horrible"  
"Really?" Luffy asked, standing up and looking at the old woman with interest "it can't be that bad…"  
"I warn you" Nyon said "if you want to do this, I can't promise you will come out sane"  
"This is Luffy" Nami joked with a laugh "he can't even spell sanity"  
"Nami, what's sanity?"

"I rest my case" Nami said with a smile.

"Come along then" Nyon sighed before walking around the three serpent's statue "Just remember, if you enter the cave, you may not come out alive…"  
"The cave?" Luffy whispered but he received no reply.

"Mystery cave" he mumbled to himself.

Suddenly, Luffy was beginning to regret letting Nami talk him into this.

* * *

_**To be continued in Chapter 10: Between the winds**_

_Luffy and Nami begin their Haki training together, starting with trying to awaken Luffy's Conqueror's Haki. Why is Elder Nyon so cautious of the cave behind the Serpent Shrine? How will Nami fare when she first tries to learn the colour of observation? And who is that laughing as Luffy takes his first steps to mastering Haki? The line of reality and illusion is ready to break next time on Search The Wind_

* * *

**_Cover story: ?_**

_**Part 5: The deal on the Moby Dick! Return of the Trinity Stars**_

This was something new for Whitebeard. He had been one of the four emperors of the New World for as long as he could remember and it was often considered that he was the man 'closest to One Piece'. That must have meant something to people, mustn't it?

Unfortunately, the answer was becoming a resounding no.

A few weeks ago, Shanks, the man who was only a boy when Whitebeard had first met him, had stormed into his ship and insulted his pride and his judgement, questioning his decision to allow Ace to follow Blackbeard. In truth, Whitebeard was still angry about how Ace had resolutely set out to find Teach, going against his orders but, he understood that Ace was acting for the right reasons. He wanted Teach to be brought for justice for the murder of Thatch and Whitebeard truly wanted Blackbeard to be punished for his treachery…however, he didn't want that a the expense of Ace's life. He knew that two D's meeting in battle was something that would not end well and since Blackbeard had already wounded Shanks, there was no telling what he could do…but no matter what, Whitebeard did not want to be ordered around by some brat from the West Blue and, being as strong as he was, he was NOT going to be talked down to by some red haired punk. He deserved (and demanded) respect…

Yet once again, he was learning that the new pirates of today had NO respect for him and his grand power and presence. Once again, a person had randomly barged onto his ship, expecting to be WELCOMED and have an audience with HIM! At least the red haired brat had ASKED him for an audience…true, he had denied and Shanks had barged his way onto the ship anyway…but at least he had ASKED!

But NO, two rookie pirates (at least, that's what he guessed they were) had just appeared on his deck and were requesting an audience with him.

As you could probably tell, Whitebeard was not in the best of moods.

Maybe if he killed these idiots, people would start respecting him again and stop barging in and acting so cocky when he was having his nap time.

With a loud groan, Whitebeard angrily stomped out of his bedroom and stood on deck, watching the scene with interest. He was glad to have such a loyal and useful crew as they were all currently pointing guns, blades and pretty much anything else sharp and deadly which could fend off these two intruders. The intruders themselves were pretty young as well. One of them looked around the age of twenty, whilst the other was around the age of seventeen. They dressed in an abnormal way as well, with the twenty year old wearing a large black hat with a white stripe, a black tuxedo, a red bowtie and an eye patch over one eye, whilst the seventeen year old was wearing an orange hoodie with red stripes around the collar and the wrists, as well as a white shirt underneath the hoodie with a triangle shaped necklace hanging just in sight. Whilst the black haired twenty year old gave a wide grin as he continued to hurl insults and threats to Whitebeard's crew, the purple haired seventeen year old was bowing and apologising to the crew for the intrusion, as well as awkwardly offering the crew the chance to shake his hand. Of course, the crew denied such a request. Whitebeard gave an angry sigh and stomped onto the deck.

"Who are you two?" he called with a grunt "and why are you here?" At Whitebeard's voice, the black haired man turned to Whitebeard and gave a wide grin, whilst the purple haired teen looked over towards him and his face paled.

"So you're Whitebeard?" the black haired man asked, before grabbing the bottom of his elbow with his hand and shaking his fist towards the moustached giant "you don't look so tough. YOU WANNA GO AT IT?" However, as soon as he said that threat, the purple haired man grabbed his hat and pulled it down over the man's eyes with an angry growl.

"Please forgive my brother Mr. Newgate sir…may I call you Newgate sir?" he said in a polite but frantic voice. Whitebeard did not reply and continued to gaze at the two in confusion. Eventually, the purple haired man continued, quite calmly now.

"Well Mr. Newgate, sir, your excellency, it is an honour to finally meet a pirate of your calibre and skill. My name is Nishi Ren, but you can call me Ren sir, and this is my brother, Nishi Hiroto. We are both here to discuss a preposition of sorts from our leader, Dragon of the revolutionary army. He believes we can come to some agreement about…"

"I don't care" Whitebeard interrupted, glaring at Ren with suspicion "Dragon's little army of toy soldiers are in way over their head. I'm not interested in ruling the world under some brat from the East Blue"

"INSULT LORD DRAGON ONE MORE TIME…" Hiroto began to threaten angrily, before his brother slapped him over the head.

"You don't understand Mr. Newgate, sir!" Ren said with a calm smile "Lord Dragon doesn't want you to help us…on the contrary; the agreement was that we were to help you…"  
Ren regretted what he had said quite suddenly as, without warning, Whitebeard and all of the crew members around him started to laugh loudly.

"THEY WANT TO HELP US?" A crew member shouted between his chuckles "HOW? BY SWABBING THE DECKS?"

"THESE GUYS ARE IN WAY OVER THEIR HEADS!" Another pirate joked. Hiroto growled at this and quickly, reached into his pocket.

"IN OVER OUR HEADS? I'LL SHOW…" Hiroto began, until Ren placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned near to his ear.

"We can't fuck this up idiot" Ren growled angrily "Have patience..." Hiroto grumbled a little at this, withdrawing his hand from his pocket.

"Two minutes…" he mumbled with rage "if they don't agree after that, then I'll take them all on…"

"You won't need to. I can do this" Ren replied, patting Hiroto's back, before stepping forwards towards Whitebeard.

At Ren's movement, the crowd of laughing pirates realised what was happening and in a flash, Marco, division one commander for the Whitebeard Pirates, was standing before Ren, blocking his way. Ren ignored the threatening man in front of him (despite the killing intent that he felt, causing his knees to shudder slightly)

"Mr. Newgate sir, we understand that you are a powerful pirate emperor and we understand your mocking laughter…but you do need our help in one regard" he explained. Whitebeard's brow rose at this.

"Oh really? And what, prey tell, is that regard?"

"Ace"

At the single word, the Whitebeard pirates all froze, shuddering in place.

Whitebeard, himself, was unnerved a little as well.

"I'm listening" the giant man muttered, staring directly into Ren's eyes. Ren's pale green eyes were currently shimmering with joy.

Things were already working in his favour and they hadn't even needed Kasumi to come in and save them at the last minute like usual.

All according to plan…

* * *

_**Until then I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.**_

_**Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**I know what you're all thinking right!  
"WOW, SHADOW HAS FINALLY UPDATED SEARCH THE WIND! IMPOSSIBLE!" But yeah, I've finally managed to get this chapter all written up and ready after what has to be my longest breaks in writing a story ever (I won't say specifically how long, seeing as I'm a little embarrassed of how long it's taken myself) but, finally, I've finished the next chapter of Search the Wind. I'm sorry for the incredibly long wait but I hope you enjoy this new chapter and I hope I can make it worth the wait for all of you...and I hope the next chapter won't take me as long as this one.**_

* * *

_**Cover story: ?**_

_**Part 6: The chaos in Sabaody Archipelago! The supernovas surprise visitor.**_

The main square of Sabaody Archipelago was in a panic. Civilians were bustling around like mad, carrying bags of supplies. Amidst the chaos, the cries of frightened children called out for aid from their mothers, who were too busy carrying them to safety to comfort them. Over the noise of panic, marine soldiers shouted loudly to make themselves heard.

"Keep moving everyone! Come on! We are only taking a measure of precaution here. Reports say that a severe storm may be on its way towards Sabaody, so if you can all make your way towards the docks in an orderly and calm fashion, we can evacuate you all safely and quickly!" one soldier announced loudly.

"Make sure you only take what you need!" a second soldier added, pointing towards a man in the crowd who was hauling around a large suitcase "we need to make room for enough people on the ship as possible and we can't be weighed down by needless items!" Unfortunately for the marines, most of their shouts fell on deaf ears as people scrambled around in an attempt to escape.

Some of the people in the crowd were even pushing against the flow in search of family members and loved ones.

"Aoi! Aoi! Has anyone seen my baby!" a poor blonde woman shouted, pushing through the crowd in an attempt at locating her child.

"Julia! Julia, where are you?" a dark haired young man in a white shirt was crying out from the centre of the moving crowds.

All in all, the whole city was in chaos. The chaos, however, was definitely an odd one. If it was possible to explain it as such, it seemed like a very controlled chaos.

People were panicking as they ran around and all hell seemed to be breaking loose but, somehow, the marines were conducting themselves so calmly that they were venting all the chaos exactly where it was supposed to be heading, the evacuation ships awaiting by the docks, waiting to help whisk the innocent people away from the danger that awaited them. Even from high above, the red haired watcher could tell that marines were well in control of the situation.

The situation itself was becoming more stable by the minute, as one of the marine's passed a little girl over to the wailing mother and, recognising her daughter, the woman gave a cry of delight and hugged her daughter close, before leaning over to kiss the marine gratefully on the cheek. Even the lone lover who had been crying out for his partner was met with an embrace as the 'Julia' he had been shouting for ran out to meet him.

The scene reeked of sentimentality and Eustass Kid hated the scent. He gave a shiver as the couple quickly made their way over towards the waiting ships, hand in hand. It made him want to be sick.

"One little storm and they all go running for the oceans…" he mumbled through gritted teeth, before a crooked smile broke through onto his face "now if that isn't cowardice, I don't know what is. I notice they aren't evacuating the pirates. Heartless bastards! What do you think Killer?" Killer didn't reply to his captain's call. He was tired from the events that had unfolded three days before and was watching carefully as the man in the furry hat continued to work on his injuries. With a sigh, the man stood up, stroking his long goatee as he smiled.

"Well, I've got good news and I've got bad news for you" the doctor said, taking a step back to take in his work "the good news is that you're all back to normal…the bad news is I couldn't do a thing about your ugly face" Killer growled at the remark but made no move to kill the cocky man.

"Nice lapdog you got there" Law commented, turning away from his patient with a large grin "he's got quite the bark but his bite's pretty tame" Kid ignored the comment and instead, gave a small smile at the surgeon of death.

"I still don't get why you volunteered to help patch us up after that fight with the pacifista but I'm not complaining about it"  
"You helped us out back there" Law replied, raising his hand "I don't like being in debt to people, so now we're even. What are you going to do about this storm? Kinda messes up your plans on watching Ace's execution here, doesn't it?"

"I'm in no hurry" Kid replied, turning to once more face the chaos in the streets below "One Piece has waited for twenty years so far, it can wait a little longer till I find it. Besides, knowing the marines, they've probably delayed the execution, so I'll just wait here. What about you?"

"There's gonna be some treasure here" Law explained with a grin "you heard the marines. They're evacuating everyone but they're forcing them to leave their supplies behind…meaning that they're leaving behind their valuables. I don't think anyone would mind if I pilfered a few rare accessories"

"I wouldn't hold your breath" Killer suddenly spoke up, looking up at Law from behind his helmet "The second the marines are off the island, this place will turn into a massive war zone. Pirates will be fighting for control of this island trying to establish a power base. They might not outclass you, but you'll definitely be outnumbered. You'll be lucky to get even a single gold coin extra in all that chaos"

"A WARZONE!" Bepo suddenly shouted, appearing from behind the bench Killer was sitting on, causing the masked man to jump slightly.

"Don't you know you shouldn't startle me you stupid talking bear!" the swordsman growled in rage, brandishing one of his scythe blades towards the white bear in defence. Bepo sighed sadly at the accusation and started to sulk.

"I'm sorry" he apologised.

"YOU'RE SO EASILY DEFEATED!" two of the heart pirates shouted, noticing the bear's timid nature. Law laughed at his crewmates and then sat down next to Killer, leaning on the back of the bench.

"Oh! That's going to be fun to watch then" Law responded with a smile "plus, it'll be a chance for us to get stronger for the New World"

"You seem to be quite confident" Killer noted, glancing over at the relaxed surgeon. Law laughed in reply, looking up at the dark clouds in the sky above. Loud crackles of thunder filled the silence.

"Are you sure we shouldn't locate to somewhere safer?" Jean Bart suddenly spoke up; trembling at the loud thunder "this storm could be quite dangerous after all so it'd be best to get out of the open"

"Wimp" Killer muttered quietly. Bart growled angrily at the comment, but Law gave him a stern look.

"…I have to agree with your big friend here" a man spoke up from behind Killer. The swordsman jumped once again, aiming his scythe at the source of his frustration.

"I've just told you not to startle me!" he hissed. The old man laughed at his reply and stood to his feet at the threat.

"My apologies dear boy, I was merely passing through and decided to stop by for a chat" the man said, turning around to look at the three supernovas with a smile. Instantly, the atmosphere became tense and suddenly, the air became lumpy and thick, making it difficult for the pirate's lungs to process. The old man's long white hair blew around in the growing wind. As a flash of lightning struck nearby, the light reflected of his glasses. His white beard had an odd striped pattern to it, only for it to form into a bushy ball under his chin. The man smiled noticing that he now had everyone's attention.

"D-d-dark King Rayleigh?" Killer spluttered out. Rayleigh could just imagine the masked man's eyes widening at the sudden sight of him and the Dark King laughed as he imagined the absurdity of the idea. Rayleigh then turned to look at Law and Kid.

"So, on to business then, I wanted to talk with you two…but where are my manners? We should get somewhere safe and out of the rain before we speak. I'd say we find a nice restaurant here and have a meal, don't you agree Law?" the dark haired man in the fluffy spotted hat blinked as Rayleigh asked him the question, unsure of how to react.

"I…I suppose…" he muttered sheepishly.

"Great, thanks for volunteering to take the check" Rayleigh said with a smile, patting Law's back in reassurance. Law hated being ordered around but all complaints died in his mouth as Rayleigh looped his arms around both him and Kid and then proceeded to lead them away "I'll tell you boys, I feel like drinking a lot of Sake? You tried the Sake here Kid? It's amazing, one of the best I've ever tasted. What about you Law? You look like a Sake kind of guy to me. Trust me, you'll love it!" Rayleigh went on.

Both of the two pirate captains and their crews were quite confused, though they all willingly followed the pirate king's first mate as he walked them over towards the door to the staircase.

"What do you want from us anyway old man?" Kid asked suddenly, unnerved by Rayleigh's unusual friendly attitude. Rayleigh laughed at the question and then turned to look Kid in the eye.

"Tell me something boys. What do you know about Impel Down?"

* * *

_**Chapter 10: Between the winds**_

The cave looked like a crack in the fabric of time and space. It was simply a hole in the rock wall, leading into a great abyss of shadow. The area was quiet and still, with nothing but the soft sound of water droplets falling from the nearby tree branches. Nami guessed that the water present on the leaves were lingering fragments of the rain storm which had cascaded from the sky yesterday after her clima-tact had gone haywire. The path up to the cave was covered in a rocky moss cobble stone causeway, which was made of shaky paving stones.

As Luffy took his first step along it, the stone pathway sank slightly, buckling under his weight. Luckily, the rubber man steadied himself and quickly followed after Nyon and Margaret. In front of him, the dark crevice stretched forwards, as if reaching for him, knowing he was to enter. Nami came last of all, walking much more cautiously that the two amazons and much calmer than Luffy's own footsteps.

"Wow! Look at that! And that! And that! And that!" Luffy commented with amazement, pointing to the various statues alongside the path. Nami ignored the constant musings of her captain and instead, kept walking straight behind him. Eventually, Nyon stopped walking right outside of the cave. Margaret stopped behind her, gazing with fear into the entrance. Luffy, unfortunately, didn't have the same urge. Nyon had to hold out a hand to stop the reckless captain from walking any nearer. Luffy looked down at the old woman in confusion.

"What's wrong?" he asked, glancing at the cave ahead. Nyon did not look at Luffy as she replied. Her eyes were trained on the cave ahead.

"Myonkey D. Luffy…" Nyon muttered "what you are looking at ryight now is the syacred cave of this island. It is syurrounded with lyegends and myths but even now, we have no idyea why the cave exyists and what its puyrpose is. It shyould, however, allyow you to gain a more advanced control over your king's dyisposition"

"My what?" Luffy asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Your Haoshoku haki" Nyon explained. Luffy gave an 'oh' of understanding and nodded "once inside, the lyegends state that the cave sets trials for the indyividual. The trials will test your mind and body in unimyaginable ways and, in the end, if you survive and persist through the trials, you shall increase your level of control over your haki"  
"And that'll help me get stronger to rescue Ace?" Luffy asked, staring at the dark hole with wonder. Nyon nodded.

"Yes…but you must be careful Luffy. If you enter…I doubt you will return. You are unayware of what chyallenges the cave will force you through and even I am unawyare of the exact threats you will face. The cave is a syource of spiritual enyergy sacred to this island. It has the power to tap into your mind, allowing you to take cyontrol of the haoshoku haki within your mind in person. You will essentially be taming your own will power, your king's dyisposition, both physically and mentally. I can confirm that whatever you face will be quite literally the worst thing you can imagine, so you must be careful before…"

"HAKI POWERS, HERE I COME!" Luffy yelled, over Nyon's warning and he began to dash towards the cave.

"Do you nyot listen to anything anyone says?" Nyon shouted at the young captain, fuming with rage at his ignorance.

"Luffy! What are you doing?" Nami yelled after her captain, realising he was racing into the cave.

"Oh…well I'm going into the mystery cave, so I can learn how to do this Haki thing!" Luffy called back as he stopped underneath the arch "I'll be back as soon as I can…have some meat ready for me when I do!"

"YOU'RE NYOT EVEN TYAKING THIS SERIOUSLY, ARE YOU?" Nyon bellowed.

"Welcome to my world…" Nami muttered, before turning back to Luffy "just be careful Luffy!"

"Come on Nami, when have I ever let you down?" Luffy called back as he ran forwards. Those were the last words Nami heard before Luffy's whole body was swallowed into the shadow of the cave. In an instant, all the sound and joy in the area suddenly vanished, leaving Nami, Margaret and Nyon to stare in wonder at the opening to the cave.

"…He's…very reckless, isn't he?" Nyon finally asked, somewhat recovering from the shock of watching Luffy charge fearless into the cave.

"You don't know the half of it" Nami mumbled. The comment made her want to smile but, somehow, Nami could not get her lips to move into a new expression, leaving a look of worry frozen on her face.

"…How likely is it that we won't ever see him again?" Margaret suddenly asked, shaking a little as a cool wind breezed past.

"As far as I'm aware, only one person has ever entered the cave and returned alive…" Nyon revealed, her own lips forming into a frown at the disappointing factor.

"…Just one?" Nami asked, not looking away from the cave.

"Yes"  
"Then…it's not impossible to come out alive is it?" Nami logically deduced.

"…I suppose not…but that's compared to the millions of others who went in there never to be seen again…"

"So Luffy's odds of surviving are one in a million then?" Nami asked, before she gave a happy sigh "that's a relief…" this statement shocked the two other women present.  
"What do you mean?" Margaret questioned, turning to look at Nami in bewilderment "you're happy that Luffy has a low chance in survival?"  
"Trust me" Nami said with a smile, folding her arms confidently "whenever there's a one in a million chance of doing something, Luffy is usually that one"

"You have that much faith in your captain?" Nyon asked, her eyes wide with surprise. Nami stood in thought for a moment at the question before she answered.  
"Faith? I wouldn't call it faith…I'd say it's more like trust" Nami clarified with a smile "after all, I don't have hope that Luffy can do this, because I KNOW he can. He's my captain and I've seen him do the impossible before. I believe in him" For a moment, the kuja elder stood as still as a statue, gaping at Nami like a fish, before she closed her mouth and she smiled.

"Then my dyear, if you believe he shall pryevail, I will trust in him as well!" Nyon said with a nod "but come aylong you two. It is time to begin your haki training as well Nami. I think we'll start by trying to develop your kenbunshoku haki if you dyon't mind?"  
"…Sure…" Nami replied with a nod, though she did hesitate in following the two kuja's. She glanced back over towards the cave and, with a loud sigh, she turned back around and started to follow Nyon back the way they had came, towards the serpent shrine.

* * *

_Once a captain and a group of young teens_

_Sailed from the east in pursuit of great dreams._

_But now, here inside the king serpent's cave_

_That will quite soon become this monkey's grave_

_He's now learning not all is as it seems…_

* * *

"Hello?" Luffy asked, turning around slightly to glance the way he had just come. The cave was dark, so he couldn't see anything but he was pretty sure he had heard something. It had sounded as if someone was singing "is anyone there?" he asked again. Once more, there was no reply. Luffy shrugged, deciding to ignore the mystery voice and instead, he kept walking deeper and deeper into the cave.

The ground was rocky, hard and uneven, so Luffy soon dropped out of his running pace and was now walking slowly along the path, hoping that the ground would eventually stop being so cracked. The ground never changed however, remaining fractured and shattered as Luffy walked along. The walls of the cave were wet as well and stones protruded from the wall, causing small cuts along Luffy's hands and arms as he staggered forwards. Luffy was forced to keep a guiding arm near the wall due to how dark the place was. He'd been walking for several minutes now and so far, his eyes had yet to adjust. The cave was silent…apart from Luffy's attempt at singing…

"~Going to learn some Haki so then I can save Ace! And I'm going to do all with a big smile on my face~" the straw-hat captain sang as he walked along, ignoring the pain he felt as he pricked his finger on another pointed rock on the wall.

Suddenly, Luffy felt something against the wall and stopped. Once again, he rubbed his hand along the side of the cave, confused by the strange feel of the object. The wall had suddenly become much more wet and even stranger; Luffy could feel something furry on the side of the wall. It wasn't the kind of fur you found on an animal. It definitely didn't feel like that. It felt like…oh what did Sanji say Zoro's hair felt like…Moss!

There was moss on the wall!

Luffy scratched his head but never the less, continued to walk forwards, scraping the palm of his hand along the furry wall as he went. The wall was cold and wet but Luffy had no choice but to continue. Luckily, however, just as Luffy's small amount of patience was beginning to wane again, he noticed a rather faint light in the distance. Spotting the beacon of hope, Luffy began to run faster, his feet bounding relentlessly against the uneven floor, due to his renewed hope.

Slowly, the light got closer and closer until, finally, the cave opened up and the light embraced Luffy as he ran into it. The straw-hat captain shielded his eyes from the light with his arm, waiting for them to adjust to the sudden brightness. Finally, when they did, he was left in awe of what was around him. Instead of the rocky path he had been following, he was now surrounded by trees. Large trunks shot out from the ground whilst vines hung from the branches high above. The forest was brightly lit from above, as light pierced through the leaves.

The floor was coated in soft slightly long grass that brushed gently against Luffy's feet. The rubber man gave a small chuckle at the sensation but quickly focused once again. The mysterious cave had turned out to be quite mysterious indeed. Luffy hadn't walked into this cave expecting for a giant forest to practically leap out at him. The fact that it had was interesting to Luffy, who glanced around the clearing for an exit. Unfortunately, he found none.

"Hello?" Luffy called around "is anyone there?" Once again, the sound of mocking laughter cackled from high above. The raven haired teen was not deterred, however, and instead, he pouted at the ceiling angrily "what's so funny?" he asked with a growl. In reply, the laughter faded slightly, as if it were going further away and then, there was silence.

Suddenly, however, the silence was shattered as a loud high pitched howl echoed through the room. Before Luffy could react, a monkey suddenly shot out of a nearby bush. The monkey swung his fist forwards and it connected straight at the top of Luffy's skull. As the fist hit, Luffy's head bobbed downwards and he cried out in pain. Strangely, as Luffy's head did bob downwards, he felt an odd chill run down his spine.

Suddenly, his head seemed to drop even further downwards until it was a few inches from the ground. Luffy quickly stepped backwards away from the monkey…who now seemed a lot taller. Quickly, Luffy glanced around and realised that the whole room now seemed a lot bigger to him. It was then when Luffy looked down at his feet and realised something very important. The ground was a lot closer than before. In fact, he, himself, was a lot smaller.

"WHEN DID I USE GEAR THIRD?" Luffy shouted in confusion, glancing at his body parts, which looked much smaller now, as if he'd been shrunk to the size of a child. As Luffy recovered, more monkeys swooped down from on high to attack him. As one of them landed right in front of him, Luffy kicked forwards with his left rubber leg, only for it to stretch in the completely wrong direction.

Luffy's eyes widened as his attack missed, the monkey's laughing at his failure in a taunting manner. The monkey directly in front of Luffy quickly swept towards the miniature pirate captain and slammed his fist into the boy's face, sending Luffy flying backwards. The young black haired boy gave a cry of pain and hit the hard dirt floor with a mighty bang. Luffy growled, nursing the back of his head as it throbbed with pain.

"Come on Luffy! That couldn't have hurt that much!" a voice suddenly yelled. Luffy's eyes widened and he quickly shot up, turning around to see a familiar man standing behind him. There, in a dark red shirt with flowery patterns on it, was Monkey D. Garp. Garp laughed at his grandson's flabbergasted face, before patting him roughly on the top of his head.

"You're not going to give up so easily, are you?" the grey haired marine asked, scrubbing his grandson's head with his fist.

"AH! IT HURTS!" Luffy complained angrily, resisting the 'love' his grandpa was showing him.

"Hurts? HOW SOFT HAVE YOU GOTTEN LUFFY!" Garp bellowed, towering over his grandson like a giant "You've been neglecting your training, haven't you?"

"No!" Luffy denied fiercely "I'm here TO train! That old snake lady told me I was to come in here if I wanted to master my conqueror's Haki…whatever that means" Unfortunately, Luffy's words fell on deaf ears as Garp ignored Luffy's explanation and pointed an accusing finger towards his grandson.

"Now, to make up for your slacking, I'm going to teach you a lesson…"

"I don't have time to fight grandpa!" Luffy insisted, but the grey haired man failed to listen and instead, swung forwards a mighty punch. Instinctively, Luffy dodged the punch, rolling to his left and, in the process, springing to his feet. He might have been transformed into a child (something he still didn't quite understand why) but oddly enough, he still possessed the instincts for battle that he had when he was his usual self.

"Grandpa, get out of my way!" Luffy demanded as he dashed forwards towards Garp. The old man grinned widely as he watched his grandson approach, before kicking forward with his left leg. Luffy, however, was undeterred by this minor setback, and allowed himself to fall forwards, making use of his small size to roll under his grandfather's attack and continue forwards.

As Luffy recovered from his roll, pushing his feet at the ground in order to keep moving, he caught sight of an opening in the trees in front of him, leading to a pitch black cave. A smile shone through on Luffy's face and the small raven haired boy pushed onwards towards the spot. As Luffy moved however, a sudden sound caught his ear. Laughter. Loud and mocking in its tone, the sound rang out all around the forest, echoing against the tree trunks.

Luffy turned his head slightly as he ran, trying to pinpoint the original point of the laughter. However, as he moved his head, he was suddenly met with a fist which crashed into his right cheek, sending the straw-hat boy flying back into the clearing. Luffy gave a loud groan at the unexpected attack and then, hoisted himself up off the floor.

"Come on now Luffy, you're not going to beat us if you keep being as easily distracted as that!" a sudden voice cried out from nearby. Hearing the voice, Luffy's eyes shot open and he looked up to meet the figure standing above him in the eyes. They were dark eyes like his, but they still contained that spark of innocence inside which Luffy recognised. Slowly, his gaze left his attackers eyes and focused on the whole of his face.

Sandy golden hair…goggles and hat…it couldn't be…

"Sabo?" Luffy asked in confusion, bemused by the older boy who was standing in front of him. A sudden surge of joy filled up inside his body and the straw-hat captain felt a tear of joy leak from his face. The blonde haired boy chuckled at Luffy's stunned expression.

"You're not getting off that easy Luffy" another voice called, despite the fact that Sabo's lips remained still. It soon became apparent to Luffy that the voice had come from behind Sabo and he was further shocked when Sabo stepped aside, clutching onto his hat with one hand, to reveal a scruffy black haired boy in a pale yellow shirt. The freckles on the boy's face hadn't changed much over the years.

"Ace?" Luffy's voice seemed quite hoarse as he spoke. The surprise at seeing his dead sibling, as well as his now imprisoned brother was now getting to him. Whilst Luffy wasn't very intelligent, he was clever enough to know that this had to be some kind of illusion. It wasn't just every day that younger versions of your family suddenly jumped out at you in a magical snake cave…

The cave…

Maybe it was the cave that was doing this…

"LUFFY! FOCUS!" At the sudden yell, Luffy suddenly felt himself being grabbed by his skull. Before he could react, he had once more been planted face first into the ground by his grandfather, who was standing over him, laughing in victory.

"You're never going to get stronger if you don't focus" Garp commented, laughing as his grandson plucked his face from the dirt, coughing and spluttering.

"I doubt he could get any stronger if he did" Sabo taunted, stepping over towards Garp.

"Maybe he'd been ever worse" Ace joined in with his taunting, laughing mockingly at the situation of the dark haired boy. Luffy, however, had no idea what was going on. He wanted to speak but suddenly found he no longer knew the words to. I mean, what DO you say about or TO such a strange apparition?

It was obvious to Luffy that this couldn't be real. If the appearance of his grandfather had not clued him into that fact, then seeing his brothers in their youthful state definitely showed him that there was something more going on. As the three figures approached him, Luffy quickly heaved himself off the floor and, on instinct, got into a fighting stance, readying himself for the next attack.

He didn't know what this cave was doing but he didn't like it…

To make matters worse, the laughter still had not calmed down. It was still calling out from all around as Ace, Sabo and Garp stepped forwards, towards him. With no idea of what the future would hold, Luffy gritted his teeth in preparation for the worst as the laughing voice continued to call out from the side.

* * *

"Concyentrate!"

*smack*

"AH! I AM!"

"Then concyentrate harder!"

Margaret was silent as she watched Nyon's improvised attempt at training Nami in the art of Kenbunshoku haki. Margaret had little memory of her haki training as a child…but she had never expected it to be as...

"Concyentrate!"  
*smack*

"STOP DOING THAT!"

…Strange as this…

Nami was currently sitting cross legged in front of Nyon, whilst the wrinkled old woman was clutching her snake walking stick firmly within her hand. She had insisted that Nami should keep her eyes firmly closed during the training session...which had so far consisted of Nyon whacking the poor orange haired woman around the head multiple times with her snake's tail, insisting that she focus on foretelling where the snake cane would attack from. Unfortunately, with her eyes closed, Nami would only realise where the attack was coming from after it had hit.

"Concyentrate!"

"THIS ISN'T GETTING ME ANYWHERE!" Nami suddenly snapped, springing to her feet as Nyon swung her staff…which now hit Nami's knees.

"Of course it's nyot!" Nyon yelled angrily "because you're NYOT CONCYENTRATING!" Nami growled loudly at the old woman's insistence.

"I'm not learning anything this way though. We've been sitting here for half an hour now doing the exact same thing over and over again…and still NOTHING!" Nyon let out a sigh as Nami spoke, attempting to stand up. As she rose, her snake staff unfurled and helped push the old woman to her feet.

"With that attyitude, I fear that you will nyever learn how to properly myaster kenbushoku haki" Nyon mumbled to herself dejectedly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nami questioned, leaning down to look her teacher in the eye. Nyon gazed up at Nami's smooth face, whilst her own elderly face seemed to twitch as her brow furrowed, deepening the wrinkles on her forehead.

"What I mean is that, kenbushoku haki is about watching and waiting. You must have paytience in order to properly myaster the colour of observation" she explained calmly. Nami, however, was still not satisfied with the knowledge she had.

"Why are we working on kenbushoku haki instead of the other ones then?" Nami inquired "I mean, I know I can't use that conqueror's haki that Luffy is able to…but, what about the colour of armaments haki? Couldn't I learn a bit about that?"

"Why of course you cyould" Nyon replied in quite a bubbly and oddly happy tone. Almost immediately, it became apparent to Nami that this new tone Nyon had adopted was fake, which is why she wasn't surprised when Nyon's smiling face, morphed into a cynical glare, a large frown highlighting the dents in her skin "of course, you'd need to learn how to fight in hand to hand combat first, seeing as it would be almost impossible to use it in combination with your clima-tact"

"I knew it wasn't going to be that easy" Nami mumbled with a depressed groan. She was suddenly beginning to feel overwhelmed at the immense pressure that had been placed on her shoulders. The prospect of learning haki in a month was becoming more and more distant by the second, as if Kuma had zapped that aspiration further away as well with his devil fruit. Noticing the pitiful look on Nami's face, the old Kuja felt a soft sigh leave her lips and gently, she patted Nami on the back (though she had to reach onto her tippy toes to do so).

"Do not become disheyartened my dear" Nyon reassured her "we still have a whole month for you to properly learn haki. We have time to work with"  
"But not much" Nami lamented with a sigh "at this rate, I'm probably going to be no closer to mastering haki in a month, than I am now"

"You're not going to learn it with that attitude!" Margaret exclaimed "it's called 'willpower' for a reason. You need to have a strong will to use haki and you must be able to perceiver through the hardships that come your way" Nami nodded.

"I suppose you're right…" she mumbled.

"Never mind about that right now" Nyon suddenly announced with a loud sigh "I think it's time we take a break seeing as we've been at this for quite a while"

"Well, you're the teacher" Nami conceded "I suppose you know best…" Nyon nodded in agreement, before gripping her chin in thought.

"We can use this time to talk about your own experiences with haki anyway"

"Experiences?" Nami asked with a perplexed expression. Nyon nodded, casting a glance at Margaret before pointing out into the trees.

"Margaret, be a dear and find us something to eat, would you?"

"Of course Elder Nyon" Margaret said, bowing low, before taking off into the jungle in search of food. As she disappeared, Nyon turned back to Nam with a smile.

"Yes, your experiences. Times when you've used haki before"  
"But haki is something completely new to me…" Nami attempted to argue, before Nyon shoved her snake staff towards Nami, in order to silence her.

"You did not know what haki was called" Nyon clarified "but you did say that you'd used it before and you've also shown that you can use it. For example, you mentioned being able to cause Luffy pain, despite him being made of rubber AND you have been able to resist Hancock's own devil fruit power. Only a few people have shown the willpower to do that"

"Hancock's power?" Nami mumbled in confusion "is it that ability she used on Margaret? The one that turned her to stone?"

"You do not know of Hancock's devil fruit ability?" Nyon wondered out loud "…well…I suppose you're not aware of the devil fruit Hancock possesses. You see, during Hancock's time as…" for a moment, Nyon found that her voice was caught in her throat, before she gave a loud sigh and began to speak once more "a slave, she was fed the 'Mero Mero' fruit"

"The love love fruit?" Nami pondered aloud.

"Yes. The fruit curses Hancock to be loved by everyone. Male, female, even all animals love her…to a degree…"  
"I can see how that'd be a curse…" Nami muttered bitterly, before refocusing her attention on Nyon "so…how can people resist that ability?" Nyon thought about this for a moment, before turning back to Nami.

"I believe others have been able to suppress the lust for our princess by replacing the emotion with another one, such as pain..."  
"Or rage?" Nami suggested, remembering how Hancock had accidently kicked her the first time they had met.

"Indeed" Nyon said with a nod "Luffy is immune to her devil fruit powers due to his own innocent mind…or, if not that, it is due to some control he has over his haki but I cannot say why exactly for certain. The boy has shown extraordinary use of his haoshoku haki, even if he does not yet understand how to control it" Nami failed to notice as Nyon spoke, a large smile began to appear on her face.

"Yeah…Luffy does have an extraordinary talent for the impossible" she said to no-one in particular, looking up at the sky as a small cool breeze raced past her face. Nyon noticed this odd change in Nami's mood and curiosity pressed her to inquire further into who this mysterious woman and her captain truly were. She was experiencing an odd tingle down her spine.

"Your captain, Luffy, why do you follow him?" Nyon suddenly asked, startling Nami.

"I'm sorry?" Nami asked, snapping out of her daydream at Nyon's words.

"How is it you and Luffy first met? For what purpose do you follow him?" Nyon asked again, rephrasing the question in order to acquire more information. Nami didn't speak at first and then she laughed a little.

"It's a long story…"  
"I wouldn't mind hearing it" Nyon pressed further "you two appear to have quite a close bond"

"Well, Luffy did pick me to be his navigator and pursued me relentlessly until I actually agreed" Nami revealed with a soft grin "so I suppose you could say that makes us pretty close" By now, Nyon's eyebrow was so high on her face that it looked as though it was no longer a part of her head. It had been a long while since she had spoken to outsiders, especially ones so full of life and so loyal to the other's cause. Nyon remembered how well the two pirates had fought against Sandersonia and Marigold in the arena and the comment Nami had made about Luffy still reverberated in her mind. How could two people have formed a bond so close and yet be so young and youthful? It reminded her of…

"Roger…"  
"Did you say something Nyon?"  
"I said 'can you explain?'" Nyon lied with a smile "it has been so long since I've been off the island and I wish to hear stories on the outside world. Plus, Margaret's search for food shall likely take a while and we need something to pass the time" Nami shrugged at the idea.  
"Sounds reasonable enough I guess" she commented. Nyon sat down on the damp stone floor and then turned to Nami, to show that she was ready for her to begin. Nami sighed wearily, but never the less, she sat down next to Nyon and cleared her throat.

"Well…the first time I met Luffy, I've got to admit, was pretty special…"

"I mean people don't just fall out of the sky…"

* * *

_They sailed the sea and they spread plenty of cheer_

_Until, suddenly, a pair ended up here._

_Now the crew has been broken asunder_

_With justice and cruelty ready to plunder_

_As the straw-hats will soon all disappear…_

* * *

Luffy had forgotten just how difficult fighting with his brothers was. Ace and Sabo were quick on their feet. Neither possessed a devil fruit ability like him but they were still giving him a run for his money. What was even worse was the second looming threat of Garp in the background, watching the boys fight with a grin. Luffy knew that after he defeated Ace and Sabo or if he tried to make a break for the next part of the cave again, he'd be stopped by Garp. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was out of his league. Outnumbered and...

No, he wouldn't say it…

He still had a chance.

"GUM GUM PISTOL!" the tiny Luffy shouted, firing off his fist in Ace's direction…only for it to turn back and hit him in the face. Sabo and Ace laughed at their brother's pain, before moving in on him as well, each launching a fist forwards into Luffy's face. The raven haired boy was sent flying backwards onto the grassy floor. As he hit the ground, Luffy attempted to lift himself up but found the ground too muddy and, unable to gain a firm form of support on the ground, he flopped once more straight onto his stomach, bringing up loud laughter from Ace and Sabo.

"Haven't grown stronger despite all these years have you?" Sabo asked mockingly with a loud laugh "if you can't beat us, how are you supposed to beat the REAL problems this world has to offer?" Luffy chose not to reply to these taunts and this time; he managed to successfully push himself off the floor, until he was now in a standing position. His brothers often made jokes about his incompetence when he was little but the time the three of them had spent together as children had taught Luffy that he needed ignore the mocking. It only made him angry and reckless and Ace and Sabo would only abuse that advantage…

Unfortunately, needing to do an action and doing it are two separate things…

"SHUT UP!" Luffy cried as he spun around, stretching his leg in an attempt to hit his two enemies. Unfortunately, Luffy's leg proved itself to be as useless as his arm. Unlike usual, when Luffy's usual Gum Gum whip shot out and remained relatively firm, Luffy's most recent attack lacked any kind of stability. The rubber leg bended far too easily as he kicked forwards at his brothers, so, unfortunately, the attack completely missed its target.

Both Ace and Sabo dodged the kick and took advantage of Luffy's weakness once again, this time by grabbing hold of Luffy's leg and spinning around. The momentum of the spin meant that Luffy was pulled off his feet and dragged along by Ace and Sabo in a circle.

"Round and round we go~" Ace sang happily.

"When will we stop? No one knows~" Sabo replied over Luffy's screaming. Luckily for the young Luffy, the spinning torture did not last long as the grip the other boys had on his leg suddenly began to weaken. Finally, Luffy's leg slipped straight out of Ace and Sabo's grasp, sending Luffy flying into a waiting tree trunk nearby. A loud smashing sound echoed around as the straw-hat captain's skull smashed into the rough bark of the tree. Luffy let out a loud groan, clutching his aching head. Ace and Sabo once more gloated in triumph, whilst Garp towered over them, watching Luffy shudder.

"So, have you finally given up?" Garp inquired, though his voice seemed oddly uncertain, almost as if he was not in control of the words he was speaking.

"Not a chance" Luffy shouted loudly, pushing himself upwards off the floor and staggering back away from the tree. At first, Garp looked quite surprised at this…only for him to suddenly begin smiling.

"Bwahahahaha!" Garp laughed, grinning widely at his grandson's determination.

"Laugh if you want" Luffy panted loudly "but I'm a lot stronger than this" This statement encouraged more laughter. This time, Ace and Sabo joined in…most likely to drown out a fourth voice which had accompanied Garp's laughter.

"Go on then!" the old man insisted, watching Luffy getting into position "show us how much better you've gotten…" Luffy glared straight at his grandfather but despite the confident words he had spoken, he still felt uneasy and uncertain. At this point, he truly felt useless.

"I'm just as weak as I was back when I was a kid" he thought to himself, glancing down at his tiny form "and I still don't know why…but if I can just get past Gramps, Ace and Sabo, I can find out what's really going on here" Unfortunately, that idea was much easier said than done, seeing as how Sabo and Ace were currently giving him a run for his money, whilst the much more deadly Garp was sitting on the sidelines, watching and waiting for his turn in the fight. It was almost an impossibility for Luffy to best all three in a state like this. Never the less, though, Luffy remained on his toes, fully prepared for Sabo and Ace's next attack.

"There's got to be some way I can beat them" Luffy pondered with a growl. It didn't take long for the fighting to begin again. Ace and Sabo charged in together and, almost in perfect symmetry, kicked forwards with their right legs. This time, however, Luffy was ready and as their legs descended down, Luffy reached out both of his hands and met the blows, catching their calves in his palms. As he did so, the force of the legs continued forwards, meaning that Ace's and Sabo's feet managed to impact squarely on Luffy's shoulders. Despite this, however, Luffy bore the brunt of the force quite calmly, allowing the attacks to settle quite comfortably in their positions.

Almost instantly, a strategy clicked quite clearly into Luffy's head as the power of Sabo and Ace's strike hit his shoulder blades. Instead of feeling a rush of pain flow through his body, his rubber skin shivered and bounced under the force of the attack and the strain travelled straight to his legs which, despite remaining stationary, buckled under the weight. For once, it wasn't his two brothers who would be laughing…

One moment, Luffy's legs were fluxuating, pumping quickly up and down at the force and the next; they had seemingly relaxed, sending out a small gust of air from the straw-hat captain's feet. Luffy closed his eyes as he felt the familiar rush of blood flow through his body and prepared himself for the usual lightness of breath. Unfortunately, the result came more forceful than expected and instead of simply taking a deep breath, he ended up coughing lightly as the force of his transformation began to take effect.

"That's right I've not tried to do it before when I was out of third gear and I didn't even know it existed as a kid" Luffy thought to himself, before grinning widely "but oh, aren't they in for a surprise?" Ace and Sabo watched their little brother with wide eyes as without warning, Luffy's skin colour suddenly lighted, as if he was blushing a bright pink...except that the blush failed to stop at Luffy's cheeks and seemed to travel down the whole of his body, causing steam to erupt from his joints.

"What the hell?" Sabo cried loudly.

"How did you…" Ace attempted to ask. In reply, the boy with the raven haired laughed loudly, before defiantly planting a straw-hat firmly on his head with a wide grin. Even Garp's seemed shocked at Luffy's sudden change, staring in wonder at the clump of steam rising from his grandson's body.

"Gear…second…" Luffy panted with a grin, as if to answer all of their questions, despite the fact that it answered none at all. Garp opened his mouth as if he was ready to talk, but Luffy decided he wasn't going to let his grandpa get some witty remark or some constructive criticism in. In a blink of an eye, he had shot across the room, his fist thumping straight into Ace's face as he moved. Ace easily fell backwards with such a hard punch and Sabo faired no better, as Luffy's leg appeared to suddenly whip out, catching him in the left shoulder.

Continuing the fluid motion of his movement, Luffy danced past both of his brothers, who were currently falling slowly to the ground and launched two hands forwards, aiming for Garp's chest…only for the Gum Gum Bazooka to hit Garp in the most awkward way it could have. One hand hit Garp straight in his unguarded knee, whilst the other veered upwards away from its intended goal and struck thin air. That was a quick problem Luffy noted in his Gear Second movements.

He appeared to have much less control over his own attacks when he was small. The punch he had flung at Ace had meant to hit the boy in the stomach and his attack on Sabo had been aiming for the chest. It was something he thought about for a moment as he catapulted uncontrollably forward at a high speed…

…Of course, Luffy's head crashing into Garp's own did result in the desired effect of leaving the marine officer unbalanced, sending him tumbling down like Luffy's brothers before him. With a loud thud, Garp hit the ground, followed swiftly by his grandsons. Luffy had unfortunately landed on Garp himself and found the marine's belly to be thicker than the ground.

Despite his skull pounding like a drum because of his reckless head butt, Luffy took this minor victory with as much pride as he could, pushing himself off the ground and staggering backwards slightly, only to grin down at his grandfather on the floor. He couldn't think of what to say. He just looked down at Garp for a while, admiring the way the dew on the grass covered his grandfather's white scalp. For a while longer, he stood there, admiring the carnage…

Then, Luffy laughed.

"Shi-shi-shi"

* * *

…But, Luffy was not alone…

Unbeknownst to Luffy, he was being watched.

She did not find this turn of events amusing.

The ant had just bested the Lion and she seemed perturbed by this fact. What made it worse was the laughter of the boy from below. The smile was happy, joyful and (she shuddered to think) even triumphant.

Now she couldn't have that…she couldn't have that at all…

The boy needed to be broken here and now.

If Luffy did succeed in advancing into the cave who knew what it could have meant for her.

In that moment, she made a simple decision…

She was not going to let straw-hat Luffy stop now.

She smiled and once more, he laughed.

She was going to think, it was going to dig for more information…and then…

She was going to break him…

"_Very well Luffy. If you're playing hardball, I'm afraid I must do so too"_

* * *

"I DID IT!" Luffy continued to cheer in victory, hopping down off his grandfather with a smile He felt a new found thrill emerge from the pit of his stomach as he stood tall. So THIS was what it felt like to beat your brother's…

Luffy had to admit, even if the boys weren't real (which was a fact his ringing head was now disputing, as the impact he had felt from Garp had been pretty real enough) there was some amount of pride to be found in coming out on top for once. He even did a little fist pump in the air to show his enthusiasm, before looking around in confusion.

"So…where to now?" he wondered aloud, glancing around the clearing. Unfortunately, neither a rustling leaf nor a sombre tree branch answered his question. In fact, the area was pretty quiet over all…

And then, the clapping started…

Luffy froze as the applause hit his ear and once more, the callous laughter cried out from the treetops. Quickly, Luffy looked upwards but saw nothing among the branches.

"Who's there?" he called out, getting ready for his next opponent. Unfortunately, no voice replied and the laughter merely grew louder "STOP LAUGHING ASSHOLE!" Seemingly offended, the laughter paused for a moment, dying down slowly into a small chuckle. Luffy growled at the mocking sound, his attention focused on the darkness above.

If he had been paying attention a little more, he might have noticed the shadow that had leaped out behind him, slowly strolling forwards in confidence…

It was the popping sounds which alerted Luffy to the sudden change in atmosphere. Immediately, Luffy span around only to be met by a dark looming shadow. The glowing eye sockets on the giant behind him made Luffy suddenly shudder with fear.

"…No…you can't be here…" Luffy muttered in surprise. Apparently, the shadow didn't hear Luffy's announcement and, with a shift strike of his palm, Luffy was suddenly flying backwards. The poor raven haired boy's vision went dizzy as he soared backwards, hitting the thick tree trunk behind him with an earth shattering bang.

Another popping sound howled out into the air…

Luffy groaned loudly as he opened his eyes. In an instant, his vision had readjusted.

The dark forest was gone.

So were the sounds of laughter and monkeys in the trees.

Unfortunately, the pain and the giant were not.

Now that Luffy could see clearly, he realised that the forest was brighter. A bright sun shone down through the leaves and the sound of popping echoed all around. Suddenly, all the memories were returing to Luffy. He was seeing it all again. Their faces looking to him in fear.

"No…" Luffy mumbled as he stared upwards into the eyes of the giant standing before him. The man was tall, taller than the average man but not as huge as the giants of Elbaf. Compared to Luffy, however, he was still very large. The man's body looked tough too and was almost as wide as it was tall. His eyes lacked pupils and gave a cold, almost alien glare to those who looked at it. Clutched under one arm was a large purple copy of the Bible. What such a man would need with such a religious text was beyond Luffy's understanding, as was how this man had suddenly appeared in front of him. For a moment, the man remained where he was, flexing his palm for a moment, allowing air to be gently pushed off the paw marks there before he spoke.

"Monkey D. Luffy, you will surrender yourself and come with me" Bartholomew Kuma commanded.

* * *

Nyon stood up.

It was done so suddenly that Nami actually shimmied quickly backwards in shock, not expecting such a reaction.

"Okay, I didn't really end up fining Vivi for helping her, don't worry!" Nami reassured the old woman, misunderstanding that Nyon's action had been provoked by her story. The Kuja elder's face had gone pale and she was panting loudly, ignoring Nami's statement.

"…Oh no…" the old woman muttered, casting a glance towards the dark cave's entrance, which loomed menacingly from the other side of the area. Nami quickly realised what Nyon was looking at and spoke up instantly.

"What? What's wrong? Has something happened to Luffy?" she asked. Nyon did not respond. A bead of sweat ran down her forehead as she stared at the cave in fear.

"NYON, WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Nami shouted, becoming frustrated by the woman's failure to answer her questions "NYON!"

"The boy is facing his first challenge…" the wrinkled Kuja replied simply, despite the fact that her mouth still remained wide open.

"…T-that's good though, right?" Nami inquired "I mean, if Luffy's made it to this 'first challenge' then he can keep advancing into the…"

"No" Nyon quickly interrupted, turning to face the orange haired navigator with sad eyes "no, it's nyot that simple…" Nami was unsure how to reply to such a declaration and Nyon did not appear to wish to continue speaking. The two sat in silence for what seemed like a year, merely watching each other's faces. After a while, Nami sighed in defeat and looked down at the floor, losing all interest in her mentor. Something was happening to her captain and, as much as she wanted to help, she didn't know what was happening…

She knew he was in pain though…

Almost as if she could feel it herself…

A scream of pain, crying out in the howling night…

As soon as Nami's head was down and her face began to suddenly contort, as if in great pain, the Kuja elder suddenly felt a stroke of genius flow through her mind. Nyon tightened the grip on her snake staff, which had leaped up to join her as she had stood up and without warning, slashed the staff at Nami. The staff never made it to its intended destination. As it travelled through the air, Nami suddenly reached out a fist and grabbed hold of the staff in mid travel, all the while still looking down at the floor. Despite the confident action, however, the straw-hat navigator was bemused at what she had just done and quickly looked up at Nyon with wide eyes.

"…Did I just…"

"Yes…"

"How did I…"

"Concyentration" Nyon simply replied, interrupting Nami mid sentence "you listened to the world around you. That is the first step to mastering kenbunshoku haki. You have to be patient. You have to wait and listen…and you did and your patience was rewarded…" At this news, Nami suddenly felt a smile come to her lips.

"So, does that mean I've mastered…"

"No" Nyon replied instantly, dashing Nami's hopes "but you've made the first step. It appears I have been trying to make you learn the wyrong way…"

"What do you mean?" Nami questioned, this time determined to not be interrupted.

"I have been teaching you to empty your mind and concyentrate on nothing…but that's not working. Children are much easier to teach with haki as their minds are open and not filled with all the knowledge, memories and experiences we have…but you? You're a navigator, a cartographer, a pirate, a thief and above all, an experienced, intelligent and opinionated young woman"

"And?" Nami growled, not sure whether to take Nyon's advice as an explanation or an insult.

"My point is that your mind is too busy" Nyon explained further "unlike children, who have space in their mind to think and focus on nothing and have been taught to do so, your mind has too much knowledge in it and, because of such you have too much to think about, too much to focus on. You are patient but lack the ability to focus and focus is the key to learning kenbunshoku haki"

"…so you're effectively saying that I'm never going to be able to learn how to do kenbunshoku haki?" Nami muttered in disappointment.

"No" Nyon replied "in fact, there is still hope for you to master the colour of observation…but we shall have to take a different approach. Instead of focusing on nothing, you shall have to try focusing on something more particular"

"Particular?" Nami muttered aloud. Nyon nodded.

"I want you to try and focus on…Margaret" the old woman paused for a moment, before nodding "yes, focus on her"

"Focus on her?" Nami mumbled in confusion "how?"

"Just think about her" Nyon specified "but ONLY about her. Do not think of anything else but her"

"Alright then…" Nami finally conceded, crossing her legs and arms and closing her eyes "but won't this mean my kenbunshoku will be limited in some way? If I can only do it whilst focusing instead of on instinct like Sandersonia and Marigold can?"

"Don't worry about that just yet" Nyon replied, gesturing her to stay seated "just close your eyes and think. Once you can distinguish Margaret's voice, then we can get started for real…"

"Distinguish Margaret's voice?" Nami said, one of her eyes threatening to cast a look of puzzlement. As she moved to open her eyes, however, Nyon sprang forwards, smacking Nami on the head with her snake staff.

"OW!" the navigator howled in pain.

"Eyes closed and focus on Margaret. Trust me; it will all make sense eventually" Nami made a small grumble at the assertive comment, before closing her eyes. Nyon watched the girl relax into her state of meditation and gave a sigh of happiness as she relaxed. In truth, she had not expected Nami to have picked up on Kenbunshoku Haki at that moment, but luckily, it appeared the navigator's connection to her captain caused her to notice his pain herself.

Nyon had instantly leapt upon the idea when she had realised she could distract the girl away from her captain's dealings. Despite the fact that she knew what Luffy was going through, no-one could help him but himself and letting Nami worry about it wasn't going to help her or her captain.

"Be careful in there boy…" Nyon thought, glancing towards the cave entrance with a shudder "The first task is designed specifically to break you…"

"And Medusa is always quite keen to break new playthings…"

* * *

"Bear guy…" Luffy mumbled, staring up at Kuma with wide eyes. The pacifista prototype appeared to have full focus in the black haired boy in front of him and was looking down at him with eyes full of cold malice. Slowly, he repeated the words he had just said back to Luffy.

"Monkey D. Luffy, you shall surrender yourself and come with me" Luffy failed to reply, instead staring mesmerised by the sudden apparition standing before him.  
"H-h-how did you get here?" Luffy finally asked, slowly standing up off the floor. Kuma ignored the question and held out his palm towards Luffy, flexing each finger in a threatening manner.

"I said you shall surrender yourself and come with me"

"I'm not doing anything" Luffy replied, balling his hand up into a fist. Kuma remained still for a moment, as Luffy's fierce gaze met his own blank eyes. The hatred and anger contained in those eyes was strong…but at the same time, it was not physical strength, but that of will which held Kuma from attacking. The cyborg knew that Luffy was not strong enough to defeat him, not in his current state and not in his fully grown up form either. The defiance in the boy's eyes would only protect him for so long.

"Monkey D. Luffy, I will not ask again" Kuma finally spoke, the calm and cool tone contrasting horribly with the prickly heat of the words "Surrender to me and I promise you that I will not…"  
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR DEALS!" Luffy suddenly started shouting as the fire in his eyes began burning brighter than ever before. Kuma's expression did not change from one of passive aggression but for an instant, his lip trembled slightly, almost unnoticeably so "I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!"

"Why?" Kuma asked in his usual monotone voice "such a thing would earn you nothing…"  
"But I can't lose anything either!" Kuma paused at Luffy's declaration.

"…I…I do not understand…"  
"DON'T YOU GET IT?" Luffy yelled with a growl "YOU'VE ALREADY TAKEN EVERYTHING FROM ME! YOU'VE TAKEN MY SHIP AND MY CREW AWAY!" as the fact left Luffy's mouth, he felt a sudden lump grow in his throat and for a brief moment, his eyes threatened to fill with tears, but he blinked them bitterly away.

"All I have left is Nami…and she's in safe hands...SO DO YOUR WORST BECAUSE I CAN'T LOSE ANYTHING ELSE RIGHT NOW!" Luffy boldly cried as he slammed both of his arms onto his knees.

Once more, his legs sprang upwards and downwards in place, pumping blood quickly around Luffy's body. The straw-hat captain gritted his teeth in pain as the sensation of Gear Second took hold. True to form, this transformation seemed to be more painful than the last. Not only was Luffy still in his child form for reasons he had not yet realised, but he was now tired.

Unused to the power of Gear Second in his small body and suddenly feeling the overwhelming stress his body was under, Luffy let out a wail of pain against his gritted teeth. It felt like his whole body was on fire. His very blood was bubbling and he couldn't help shaking. Pain filled all of his senses and for a moment, his sight and sense of sound abandoned him. He was alone, trapped within a void of blankness with the only accompaniment being his own beating heart, which threatened to burst over his chest…

Then, it stopped completely…

Silence…

Then, the world grew full of colour once more and the loud ringing in his ears popped like an explosion and the heartbeat suddenly began again, thumping hard in his chest.

In the space of one second, Luffy had died and been brought back…

Kuma, of course, was unaware of this but the whimper Luffy gave as he collapsed on one knee made the cyborg's eyebrow raise.

"I need to end this quickly" Luffy thought with a growl "I…I can't take much more of this…"

"I apologise Monkey D. Luffy…but you are incorrect" Luffy's eyes widened at Kuma's announcement.

"What?"  
"I said you are incorrect…" Kuma murmured once more "because, as you will soon be aware, you have much more to lose now that you think…" Luffy did not understand Kuma's statement, however, and curled his hand up into a fist.

"GUM…GUM…JET PISTOL!" he cried, firing off his volatile arm in Kuma's direction. Kuma did not bother blocking the blow as it harmlessly tapped against his iron chest, ringing out around the cavern. Luffy's knuckle quickly retracted away from its target and Luffy was smacked in the face by how own fist. Immediately, Luffy lost all focus and his gear second faded as quickly as it had come. Luffy fell backwards at the force of his own blow, hitting the ground.

Despite how much his target was hindered, Kuma merely stood by and watched as the venerable Luffy stood to his feet, panting and growling loudly. He was clearly unable to go into Gear Second anymore. The last transformation had almost ripped his poor child body in two. Doing it again could possibly kill him. Luffy remained stubborn however, and still got ready to continue his fight with Kuma. Kuma was no longer interested in Luffy, however and was now looking to a large lump on the floor. Noticing this distraction, Luffy glanced over as well and his eyes shot open as he realised just who he was looking at.

"G-Garp?" the white haired man was still lying flat on the ground from his last fight with Luffy, still unmoving as Kuma approached his unconscious form.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!" Luffy yelled, but Kuma didn't listen. Why should he heed the words of a small and angry child?

"I SAID GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Luffy announced, firing off a rubber fist at Kuma. The fist had been aimed at his head but missed, soaring harmlessly into the air over the cyborg's shoulder. By now, Luffy was desperate and quickly began charging towards Kuma.

"GET AWAY!" Luffy shrieked as loud as he could, kicking straight up into Kuma's face once he had gotten close enough to the giant. Kuma's palm interrupted the attack and sent Luffy flying to the ground almost instantly.

"I will spare him if you simply surrender to me" Kuma replied, reaching his palm into the air. Luffy refused to listen to his opponent, however, and once again punched forwards with all his might. The attack missed horribly and Kuma sighed, unamused by Luffy's unreasonable ambition.

"If you will not surrender willingly…then I shall force you to realise how weak you truly are boy…" Kuma said calmly. With a sudden flick down of his wrist, Kuma's palm passed over the grey haired man on the floor and Garp disappeared in a burst of wind. Luffy screamed loudly as Garp vanished, quickly racing over to where his body was.

"GRAMPS! GRAMPS! NO! COME BACK!" he yelled, clawing at the dirt where his grandpa had just been, before turning to glare at Kuma "WHERE DID YOU SEND HIM? WHERE IS HE?"

"Gone" Kuma simply replied, glowering at the dark haired young boy "are you ready to surrender now Monkey D. Luffy? Are you finally going to give up?" Luffy sat where he was for a moment, blinking, before he then wiped the water out of his eyes. He wasn't done yet.

"I've not lost yet…I can still fight, I can still take you down…"  
"Your courage is admirable but also misguided" Kuma responded, turning around to now face Sabo, who was lying down on the floor nearby. Luffy had suddenly become very quick on the uptake and in an instant, he was up and moving, forcing his aching muscles into action. He leaped in between Kuma and his brother and clenched his hands tightly into fists.

"YOU'RE NOT COMING NEAR HIM!" he shouted loudly "I can still win, I can still beat you and I'm not going to lose Sabo again! I'M NOT LOSING ANYONE AGAIN!" Kuma was silent at this, which Luffy had begun to expect. The cyborg seemed to be much more interested in merely staring at his prey and lecturing it than bothering to properly argue. After all, it was clear to anyone but Luffy that he was outclassed in this instance. He was too small, too weak and too injured to take on such a threat. For a moment, Luffy blinked and was sure that he noticed a small smile appear on the pacifista's face, only for it to vanish the next time he looked.

"It's a trick of the light" he eventually concluded in his head. It did not matter what it was however. Kuma had every right to smile. He was winning.

The large man's next move was fast, faster than anything Luffy had seen before. In a blink of Luffy's eye, Kuma was in front of him…however, something was off about Kuma. As the man approached Luffy, his palms folded inwards and, to Luffy's surprise, the hands formed into fists. It occurred to Luffy in that instant that he had never seen Kuma punch anyone. It had always been with his open palm that he had hit people, in order to make use of his devil fruit power. Kuma wasn't the kind of guy who brawled with others, he was strategic and gentle but firm in his motions. He never applied full on force. Something was definitely wrong with what was happening…

And then, it hit Luffy…or to be more specific, Kuma did with his fist. The blow sent Luffy backwards but Kuma was not finished there. After finishing his first punch, Kuma punched forward once more, striking Luffy around the head. Then, there came another attack and another. Slowly at first but then faster and faster, a hail of blows rained down upon Luffy's skull. The young boy growled and groaned under the hits as they struck him and he reeled back in pain…

Pain from a physical attack…

"It's just like that snake lady" Luffy remember as another fist hit him square across the face "but…why does it hurt so much?" The true answer to this lurked high above Luffy as once more, the voice had begun its laughter. Luffy barely heard it however. The violent and brutal strikes from Kuma were forcing him backwards bit by bit, before finally, one final punch sent Luffy flying backwards, over Sabo's unconscious form onto the floor.

The mini pirate captain growled in pain and attempted to struggle to his feet, but to no avail. It had happened again. He had been beaten down. Slowly, bit by bit, his body was breaking down, failing him slowly but surely. Even if Luffy failed to accept his own limitations, he couldn't try to fight past them. He was finished.

"Well" Kuma called from where he stood "do you surrender? Will you come with me? Or do I keep having to beat you down?" Luffy groaned from where he stood as he tried to push himself upwards. These words didn't sound like Kuma's, but Luffy didn't care. He didn't care because he was only concerned with one thing. He did not want to fall again.

"…No…I'm not done…" Luffy replied, finding a small amount of energy enough to push himself up off his back and off the floor. Now, he was looking Kuma in his pure white eyes. The pacifista watched him for another moment, before he looked down towards Sabo's body. Without a second thought, the large man struck down with his palm. The golden haired boy shattered like glass as he faded away, to another of Luffy's screams. By now, Luffy could no longer hold back the tears that had started to leak through his eyes. He'd done it again. He'd lost his brother. He hadn't been strong enough to do anything again…

Kuma, then turned once more, his eyes narrowing on his final target. There, lying hunched over at the other side of the clearing, was Ace. Already, Luffy had spotted the pacifista's eyes look over to his brother and felt a surge of energy rise up within him. Luffy's hands pushed against the floor and, for an instant, Luffy was able to stand up…before falling down onto his stomach with a loud cry.

"No! Stay away! Leave him alone!" Luffy shouted.

"If you want to save him, you must surrender" Kuma replied, one of his eyes looking straight at Luffy, whilst the other observed Ace "accept your weakness"

"NO!" Luffy gritted his teeth and howled loudly, his throat feeling sore from the amount of shouting he was doing "I CAN BEAT YOU! I CAN STILL BEAT YOU!" but his words were left unheard as Kuma began walking once more. This time, every small step brought Kuma closer to Ace. Luffy struggled to stand but his body refused to obey him. He had finally reached his limits. He had given almost everything to try and save his family and it hadn't been enough…

It hadn't been enough twice now…

Hadn't that fat shadow man said something about this?

"_GO SEE FOR YOURSELF STRAW-HAT! GO SEE, THE NIGHTMARES OF THE NEW WORLD!"_

Luffy's eyes widened as he panted loudly. Moria had known. Moria had known he wouldn't be strong enough. He hadn't listened…but, Moria knew he wasn't strong enough yet and now, he had lost his family…

He'd lost both of his families…

Kuma took another step towards Ace. Luffy tried to stretch out an arm to stop him, but the rubber arm only pathetically flopped to the ground almost instantly.

"I…I can still beat you…" Luffy announced with a pant. Kuma didn't listen, he was focusing on Ace.

"I can still beat you, I can still beat you, I can still beat you" Luffy had begun chanting, trying with all his might to move. He failed once more, however. Kuma's steps continued.

"I can beat you, I can win, I can do this, I can…" Luffy continued but the words didn't do anything for him. He could do nothing but watch now. With a loud footstomp, Kuma stopped in front of Ace, the boy's brother's words still chattering in his ear.

"I…can…I…can…"

Kuma said nothing as he raised his palm into the air. A gentle wind soared around the palm, as if it was ready to act on his will.

"I…I…"

Finally, with a deep breath, Kuma thrust his hand straight down at the boy on the floor…

"STOP…STOP IT, I CAN'T BEAT YOU! YOU WIN!"

In an instant, the clearing lost all sound. Kuma's blank gaze rested squarely upon the small child before him, who was kneeling on the floor, staring straight at the ground. Luffy's erratic movements and even his defiant attitude suddenly broke down in an instant. For a moment, Kuma remained still. Then, slowly, he lifted his palm upwards, away from his unconscious brother on the ground.

"Excuse me?" the pacifista questioned, unsure of Luffy's announcement. Luffy bit his lip in anger as he felt the cyborg's gaze scorching into his back.

"I said you win…" the small boy repeated with a shaky voice. A small splash sound echoed upon the floor as he started to shake.

"I…I'm not…I…I…can't…" Luffy stuttered.  
"Can't what?" Kuma inquired.

"I can't beat you…"

The words were bitter and salty as they left Luffy's mouth, as if he had coughed the words out, rather than spoken them. As the realism of Luffy's statement hit his own ears, however, the black haired boy felt his eyes beginning to water and a lump formed in his throat.

"It's…it's not fair…" Luffy lamented, pounding the ground with one of his fists "I'm…I'm just not strong enough..."  
Another droplet of water splashed onto Luffy's small knees.

"I…I can't find One Piece…"  
A bubble popped in the background.

"I can't save my brother…"  
A small whimper escaped Luffy's mouth but he bit it back fiercely.

"…I…I CAN'T EVEN PROTECT MY OWN CREW WHEN I'M AS WEAK AS THIS!" he shouted, punching the floor with a new found rage. The volatile force, however, was not aimed specifically at the large bear man standing in front of him.

No.

It was more anger at himself…

Pure disappointment in his limits…

For a second, Kuma continued to watch Luffy sitting down on the floor. His eyes remained focused on the youth for a long time, before ultimately, Kuma became bored and finally looked away.

"So…this is how far you can go?" the cyborg spoke, in a voice not like his own "I must say that even I didn't think you'd fail this soon…in the first room no less" With a loud snort, the pacifista spun on his heel and began to step away from Luffy into the foliage "You're not worth my time…"

"Wait"

Instantly, Kuma paused in his tracks. He had heard a voice, hadn't he?

No, he couldn't have. After all, the only other person in the room was currently broken beyond…

"Wait…for me then…" Kuma's brow twitched at the command. Slowly, he looked behind him.

Luffy was now standing. He was still crouched over, clutching his gut with his left hand with blood still leaking from his nose and lip. His chest was covered in scars and bruises. The boy even stood quite wobbly on his legs, as if only a mere breeze could push him off his feet. Never the less, however, despite his broken body, the pirate captain still managed to stand tall.

"Wait for me…" Luffy repeated with a pant "give me…time…"  
"And what shall you give me in return?" Kuma wondered aloud, most uninterested in the pathetic specimen barely standing before him.

"The ass kicking of your lifetime…"  
Now that declaration caught Kuma's attention.

The giant turned backwards fully now, in order to get a proper look at the boy who was now limping forwards towards him.

"You see…I might not be strong enough to beat you YET…" Luffy yelled as he staggered along "but…I can get stronger. I can fight and strive to improve and I will get stronger!" Kuma said nothing. He studied the grin of defiance on Luffy's face.

"I'm going to get better and come back here…and when I do…"  
"I'll beat you"

As Luffy spoke, he felt a sudden surging feeling in his stomach.

"I'll save my brother…"

The young boy suddenly fell victim to vertigo as his legs suddenly stretched, becoming long and lanky.

"I'll regroup with my crew…"

His shoulders were broadening, his smile was widening and his voice was getting slightly deeper.

"And then…I WILL BECOME THE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

* * *

As Luffy cried out at the large cyborg, he was shocked to realise that Kuma had suddenly disappeared. The forest had dissolved around him before he could even blink, leaving a now adult Luffy standing in the middle of an empty dimly lit cavern. For a moment, Luffy remained stationary. He wasn't hurting any more. There were no scratches or bruises on his person and all of the pain had just disappeared.

He was…confused to say the least…

"…er…bear guy? Where'd you go?" Luffy shouted, scanning the area. Despite his best efforts, however, Luffy failed to make out any sign of Kuma in the darkness. After this short pause, Luffy was more confused than ever and began to scratch his head in confusion. He couldn't understand what was happening at all. One moment, he was a kid again, fighting against his brothers and his grandfather. The next, he was having a rematch with Kuma in his still child like state…

"…Mystery cave…" Luffy muttered in confusion as he continued to look around. What had actually happened? And where was he meant to go now?

Then, almost as if he had spoken the questions out loud, an answer presented itself in a voice that suddenly echoed all around. It was laughter, loud and booming around the area.

"Who's there?" Luffy instantly shouted, getting ready to fight once more "I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!" For a moment, there was silence. Then a sigh echoed out.

"_Not yet...not now…" _she hissed in the dark. Luffy glanced around in an attempt to discover the location of the voice, but he once more failed. It seemed to be coming from everywhere.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked angrily "where are you? SHOW YOURSELF!"

"_No, not yet" _the voice seemed to mockingly repeat "_but soon. Soon Luffy…"_

"HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?" Luffy asked "AND YOU HAVEN'T SAID WHO YOU ARE?" the voice laughed loudly as Luffy spoke, and for a while, the voice was quiet before she spoke again.  
_"If you want to call me something, then call me…Medusa"_ the voice answered with a chuckle "_and know that you have taken the first step_"

"The first step?" Luffy wondered aloud "what are you talking about?"  
_"Acceptance is the first step"_ Medusa replied in a far off and droning tone _"a king must accept that he has limits and he must know them in order to improve upon those limits. From defeats, we can learn. That is the truth of the Kenbunshoku Haki, knowing the situation of how things are…You are now ready to continue…"_

"What are you talking about?" Luffy questioned, now getting irritated with all the cryptic nonsense he was being told.

"_Come"_ Medusa said with a chuckle _"come Monkey D. Luffy, we're just getting started…"_ Luffy paused for a moment, when suddenly, he felt his feet moving. He never willed them to move, but they moved regardless and he did little to stop them. It was if in that instant his attention had been captured by the voice from above. Without hesitation, Luffy ran forwards straight at one of the cave walls…only to walk straight through it as if he were a ghost. As Luffy entered the wall, fading seamlessly into the rock, Medusa laughed loudly and suddenly, a slim and slender woman emerged from the roof of the cave, landing softly on the ground. Following her was a large snake of some kind which wrapped itself around her waist as it descended from the roof. The woman giggled.

"_This one is fun to play with Fidi"_ she said with a cackle in the dark _"almost as fun as Roger was…I see great things in his future" _Medusa stood still for a moment, taking in all that had happened before slowly walking forwards. Like Luffy, she too pushed on the wall, fading through to the other side. The boy wouldn't learn anything without her anyway. As she faded into the stone, the woman let out a small cackle before once more, her singing echoed out over the empty cave.

* * *

_Monkey D. Luffy, the end is nigh_

_For this carefree life has been just a lie._

_Now that all the darkness is descending_

_Know that before this story has an ending_

_You shall cry for someone you love will die…_

* * *

_**To be continued in Chapter 11: Faith**_

_With questions still unanswered and mystery in the air, Luffy continues through the serpent cave, hoping to find some way in which to master his haoshoku haki. But what lies in store for our brave straw-hat captain in the serpent cave? Who is the mysterious Medusa who watches over Luffy's trials? And most importantly of all, what dark secrets are Hancock and Nyon hiding from Nami about the cave of serpents? Nightmares of the past return and fear is real next time on Search the Wind._

* * *

_**Until then, I'm Shadowonthewall6 and I've FINALLY updated this bloody story :D**_

_**Please review. Positive criticism is welcome…even if it's commenting on how I haven't updated in a while because I'm either too busy or too lazy.**_


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